NORFOLK
A popular Caribbean restaurant on Church Street will no longer serve alcoholic beverages.
The City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to immediately revoke MoDean's Restaurant's liquor license.
The restaurant is owned by Patrick Francis. Since 2001, when MoDean's opened, Francis has been cited in more than 30 criminal charges. They include being found guilty for failing to pay food taxes and for locking the restaurant's emergency exit doors.
Earlier this year, police investigated a homicide that occurred just outside of the restaurant, according to city officials. Citizens and police officers have also reported the restaurant operating during hours that it was supposed to be closed.
Norfolk rarely revokes a restaurant's liquor license, said Cynthia B. Hall, a assistant commonwealth's attorney who runs the Norfolk Bar Task Force.
The council made the right decision, she said.
"The city worked with Mr. Francis for about six or seven years, and he didn't want to comply with the regulations," Hall said.
The Norfolk bar task force was established in 2003 to ensure that local bars follow operating regulations established by the City Council.
Francis declined to comment after Tuesday's meeting. His attorney, Duncan Clair, told the council that without a liquor license, Francis may not be able to afford his business.
Sunshine Swann, a frequent customer of MoDean's, asked the council not to revoke the restaurant's license. "I come to MoDean's with my family, and it's always been a family-oriented business," she said.
Jaedda Armstrong, (757) 446-2346, jaedda.armstrong@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
D Kent
I would not have pointed out the grammatical errors had it not been for the factual errors in the story. Neither type of error are acceptable, but when you read the news, you expect it to be factually correct. The Commonwealth Attorney's Office and the City Attorney's Office are two completely different entities with two completely different sets of responsibilities and duties. It isn't asking much to get that accurate. As a side note, I am definitely not an "unemployed writer"
Is it just me?
There seems to be an abundance of unemployed writers grading the VP writer’s skills. Give me a break, I don't care! Nobody does except an few eccentric idiots who nave nothing better to do than criticize the punctuation, sentence structure etc. of a published story.
Get life, we don’t care what you think!! Please comment on the story
... and yet another error.
" ...and its always been a family-oriented business," she said.
In this case "its" is the contraction for "it is" and needs the apostrophe ... it's.
What an awful piece of published writing!
Loss of License
If this establishment's owner has been this negligible for the past seven years or so, why doesn't the city shut it down for good instead of revoke a license? If this is meant to correct his negative behavior, this measure should have been exhausted long ago. Better late than never, I suppose.
Francis Needs new Business Associates
Mr. Francis should become business partners with Ronnie Boone. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about the City getting on his case. He could do whatever he wants to do.
Patrick Francis should choose another line of work!
We can't keep holding this guys hand and acting like his personal seeing-eye dog for successful business navigation. Either he complies or no drinki license, pure and simple. If he hasn't got it by now, it's hopeless
Time for Patrick to change gears and open an eBAY storefront, I bet he will be able to figure that one out. If I were him I'd be so embarrassed that I can't run my own business without sanctions that I'd leave town.
Yet another error . . .
"...H is attorney, Duncan Clair ..."
Of course there is an extra space between H and is as the word intended was His, but the attorney referenced is Duncan "Bob" St. Clair of St. Clair and Roseblum.
Saw it coming
I had some dealings with this guy. He was arrogant and thought he could muscle his way through business. Brawn never works for small business owners.
More errors in the article . . .
"...said Cynthia B. Hall, a assistant commonwealth's attorney..."
The error of a instead of an aside in the above, Cindy Hall is a Deputy City Attorney, not an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney.
'Bout time!
Man, it's about time the city made a definitive move against that establishment. I've eaten there twice; the second occasion being the hopeful turn-around experience to a dismal first-time experience. That didn't happen. Management's attitude toward food quality, service, and its patronage is terribly obvious in the poor delivery of it all. Caribbean food is excellent fare, but that establishment destroys it. Hopefully this joint fades away sooner than later.
What city was this in again?
Nofolk restaurant loses liquor license for violations
NOFOLK? How about Norfolk? (remember the "r"? - it's part of the name!).
Another shining example of the lack of a spell checker or attention to detail by the Pilot.
Huh?
Family oriented? Think again.