Bar Norfolk faces charges from state alcohol board

Oh no the magazines for the good articles and the strip joints for the food....
I hope you don't think we’re going to fall for that one...LOL
You get an A for effort….Does your wife really buy that…What do you tip the girls with..LOL

Who wants to eat a real prime rib sandwich with a bunch of strippers around? Ok I'll admit I'm going to try out Mturner23462's lunch suggestion..If I can get an end cut.

Does ABC have anything better to do than this? That place has been open for a while so they must be doing something correct.
I have been going there for the last year and it is a fun place to dance with my girlfriends.
Its the only place that we go that we feel safe.
Keep up the good work BAR Norfolk:)

come ON! this is ridiculous! i go to bar a lot with my friends. we usually eat while there after dancing all night. and the food is GOOD! it's not too expensive, tasty, and served up quickly. please don't let them take bar from us! it's our favorite place!!!!

The reverse of BC's statement is also true. Please ... who wants to have supper at Applebee's with a bunch of raucous drunks about? Let bars be bars and restaurants be restaurants.

Mabey a bar that sells guns, and allows people to open-carry???
Wait...can you do that in Waterside?

Having been to Bar Norfolk I find it difficult to argue that it is not a rendevous for drunks. But I agree that the food/alcohol laws are a relic of the bible belt and should be done away with. The same goes for ABC stores. That said, Bar Norfolk as an establishment is only good for one thing,drawing a crowd of partiers on week ends. That business model carries some negative baggage with it, e.g. a large number of drunken yahoos and all the hi-jinks they entail. The rest of the time it is dark and empty. So Norfolk must balance the revenue provided by a place like that versus the troubles they cause.

Seems like everyone who is the focus of government scrutiny claims they are being unfairly picked on. The fact is, all businesses that serve alcohol are audited at least once every two years. The proprietor has the responsibility to maintain sales records, and record their liquor, wine and beer, and food sales on an MBAR schedule that is provided to them at the beginning of the year. That said, the 45% rule is bad for business. It drives bar owners underground to keep open. It is a great temptation to keep alcohol sales "off the books," or to call those revenues something else. It needs changed. Bar Norfolk, a haven for drunks? Please...Who wants to party at "Applebees" on a Friday night?!

Write your local and state politicians its easy you can email now......Hammerheads and Martingale argued the ABC laws in Federal Court and won...ABC appealed but subsequently thru legislation had the law changed law.... because you let them….Get involved people...

See what they support and write letters let them know your watching...You can check the website and search by name...super simple..
leg1.state.va.us/lis.htm

Bar Norfolk's policy has long been "If you are still breathing you can have another drink."

They are a scandal waiting to happen, and, although, the ABC board SHOULD have their wings clipped, closing down Bar Norfolk will save lives.

For those that don't know. There is no such thing as a bar in the state , er I mean commonwealth, of Virginia. Never have been. Their are only resturants that sell alcohol. To make sure that this happens we have that 45% rule. Now the 45% rule is based on stock orders, not only on sales of food, so a place has to order X amount of food to sell Y amount of Liquer. The end result is its hard for a lot of places to get rid of the food they have to order to sell the drinks. To at least recoup some of these costs a lot of places mark the food WAY down while marking the cost of drinks up to cover the loss.

The end result of this is that seedy nasty bars are often by far the best place to get lunch. I am not in the least kidding. They have to get rid of the food. you ever want a real Prime Rib sandwich with fries for dirt cheap hit a strip club at noon.

This is an actual charge......that can be leveled at a bar? lol

Having worked in the bar biz, I will say that these type laws force bars to get "creative" with their food sales and marketing strategy. That is why you see companies like "Bar Management Group" owners of "Bar Norfolk", "Have a Nice Day Cafe", "Time Lounge", "Gustoes", and other now defunked bar concepts, open several bars in an area like Waterside. Low rent and the ability to move food and alcohol from one concept to another. Similar to "padding the drawer". ABC agents certainly could use an attitude adjustment. In their defense, they are charged with enforcing the law lot interpreting it. Complain to your local delegate and/or Governor.

one of the earlier comments stated it exactly saying the ABC is an "overzealous, self-righteous organization". I totally agree. And most of them, probably picked on as kids, have a totally ridiculous power complex.

i had my 40th birthday party raided by the ABC. and it was a PRIVATE party behind closed doors of a yet to be opened business in williamsburg. they had a bone to pick with the owner, and were doing whatever they could to shut him down - even before he opened. they were the most obnoxious people - it was a HUGE waste of taxpayer money (they had about 6 cars there), and it eventually got thrown out in court as an illegal search and seizure. we had all the personally bought liquor and beer confiscated as 'evidence'. what a crock. and we had receipts for it paid with our own credit cards.

ABOLISH the ABC. They do not one iota of good.

Here's another example of unbelievably impractical laws on the books being inforced by an overzealous, self-righteous organization. Having seen how ABC agents work in the past, they pretty much initiate investigations on a whim and then force businesses to pay a fine just to keep the doors open. If they don't pay, or stand up for themselves they get labeled a "rendezvous for drunks". It's to the point where they won't issue ABC licenses if they don't approve of the music being played at said place of business! They are supposed to be in the business of law inforcement but have ventured into a much more powerful branch that controls how they want Virginians to socialize. Governor Kaine please examine this department for budget cuts! Squabbling over how many appetizers and meals a business serves versus acoholic beverages is silly, how about re-diverting their budget to the new light rail system or adding a new lane on 64 for crying out loud.

I agree with just about everyone else here. I think it is insane to ask a bar to sell that much food! Who goes to a bar to eat dinner? Not me. Not my friends. We go to drink and have a good time.

Maybe Crocidile Rocks will reopen after VB Mayor meets with Norfolks Mayor since a partner at Towne Bank was an Owner....They can take Bar Norfolks place...LOL

Since they have to have 45% of the sales they make in food and non alcohol, why not raise the price on the food and decrease the price on the alcohol. Dropping the cost of a drink 50 cent and increasing the food by the same will eliminate this issue. They could also start after hour buffets since most people are hungry from dancing and being dehydrated from all the drinking and sweating.

i don't think food. and i am sure their customers don't either. these laws are antiquated and need to come off the books. bars are bars, restaurants are restaurants, plain and simple.

This is an attempt by the City of Norfolk to close another bar. In the past, the city fathers closed all the bars on Hampton Blvd in the name of redevelopment. Chanced the bars from East Main Street and closed bars in the Ocean View area. All this was to create Waterside a family and tourist attraction. When the Waterside shoppes began to closed for failure to pay rent. Bars replaced the shoppes and the family atmosphere disappeared. Why doesn't the City of Norfolk hang a "For Sale" sign on Waterside?
Then the City of Norfolk can building another hotel/convention center with a marina for the Mayor, Council member and the high-roller of Norfolk.