You’ll Never Guess Whose Big Ass Honky-Tonk And Rock & Roll Steakhouse Lost Its Beer Permit For Ignoring Social Distancing
Remember Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky-Tonk And Rock & Roll Steakhouse? You know, the Nashville bar with a giant neon sign shaped like a guitar and also a woman’s butt? The one where Kid Rock got pulled offstage for going on a drunken rant about Oprah? The one that refused to close at the beginning of the pandemic because it was “unconstitutional”? Well, you’ll never guess whose Big Ass Honky-Tonk And Rock & Roll Steakhouse just lost its beer permit for ignoring social distancing guidelines.
The Tennesseean reports that Nashville’s Metropolitan Beer Permit Board has issued a five-day suspension against four bars for violating the Health Department’s COVID-19 restrictions. Those four bars? Moxy Nashville Downtown, Broadway Brewhouse, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, and yes, Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk and Steakhouse, all of which were seating and serving patrons at the bar over the weekend — which is currently banned under phase two of reopening. “They were in violation of two points of the order that states bar areas must remain closed to the public,” says inspector Melvin Brown. “No interaction with the public is allowed, and alcohol can only be served at tables and booths.”
Steve Smith, the restaurateur who co-owns Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk And Steakhouse and previously called the Nashville mayor’s mandate to close the city’s bars “unconstitutional,” is not happy about things. “The Nashville government is, like, communist,” he says. “They’ve got us behind a Berlin Wall. We met with Mayor Cooper and the doctors weeks ago and explained how having bar service is safer than table service. They’re doing everything they can to put us out of business. The state of Tennessee is already in Phase 4 and they’re talking about holding us in Phase 2. It’s against our constitutional rights.”