The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
If you like throwing back a cold one at Bar Norfolk or Have a Nice Day Cafe, you're out of luck.
The City Council will almost certainly revoke the permits of both Waterside entertainment venues to serve alcohol, Mayor Paul Fraim and Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot said.
The council will vote on applications for alcohol permits for all Waterside restaurants and entertainment establishments at 2:30 p.m. today. If the council votes as expected, the two venues will no longer be allowed to serve beer, wine or mixed drinks, effective immediately.
Alcohol permits for four eateries - Outback Steakhouse, Joe's Crab Shack, Hooters and Jillian's - likely will be approved, the mayor and vice mayor said.
Fraim and Burfoot said closing Bar Norfolk and Have a Nice Day Cafe will go a long way toward cleaning up Waterside's image.
Crime and violence at or around Waterside recently has heightened worries about its safety and overall atmosphere.
"We want to make sure we don't have a negative impact on the restaurants that do a good job there," Burfoot said. "But we need to get rid of some of the establishments that are hurting us."
A man was killed and another wounded in March after a fender bender led to an assault in the Waterside parking garage. In the 12 months before the shooting, police said, they had received 258 calls for service from Waterside and 74 more for the parking garage.
The Bar Task Force, composed of police, fire, code enforcement and other city agencies, has been cracking down on alcohol and entertainment violations at Waterside. Fraim said the violations at Bar Norfolk and Have A Nice Day Cafe were simply too frequent.
"They certainly have been problematic in their operations," Councilman W. Randy Wright said. "But there are multiple problems at Waterside, including the fact that Waterside's not paying for itself."
Fraim said he recently received a promotional flyer advertising Jell-O wrestling by women at one of the venues. Fraim said he's been told that special events are often scheduled at both bars, then abruptly canceled after patrons "are inside and already drinking."
"I'm not supportive of renewing their special exceptions because of the numerous issues concerning the operation and management of those facilities," he added.
"One of our goals is to return Waterside into a family-friendly, visitor-friendly facility."
Telephone calls to general managers at both restaurants were not returned.
Both clubs were closed Monday. At a meeting of the Downtown Civic League Monday night at Waterside, civic league President Kevin Murphy said he was gratified to hear the news.
"I'm sorry for both businesses," he said. "But I can't help but think that Waterside will be a safer place."
City officials decided in April to replace the overall alcohol permit that applied to all restaurants and clubs there with individual permits.
Waterside was opened with public and private money in 1983, and has been credited with sparking the redevelopment of downtown.
It opened as a festival marketplace featuring restaurants, a fish market and entertainment, then seven years later morphed into more of a shopping destination. After MacArthur Center opened, Waterside became a venue for night clubs. But the growth of clubs along
Granby Street has cut deeply into Waterside's business, city officials said.
Fraim said the facility, which sits on the waterfront in the heart of downtown, needs a makeover and a new purpose.
Fraim and other city officials called for a series of public hearings, followed by a council debate, on the future of Waterside almost a year ago.
Wright said not enough has been done in the 10 months since. "It's a big mess that somebody needs to take control of," he said.
Wright said the council should make "concrete decisions" on Waterside at its retreat next month in Smithfield.
Closing Bar Norfolk and Have a Nice Day Cafe are the first steps in redefining Waterside, Fraim said.
"It will give us some breathing room to figure out what to do there," he said.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Don't worry guys, the zany
Don't worry guys, the zany crew of the waterside bars will show those pesky, meddling city council members through a series of increasingly wacky pranks. Just when things are at their darkest, our eclectic group of heroes will challenge those prissy preps down at city hall to a sail boat race for the alcohol licenses of their businesses. Will the charismatic but aloof manager of Have A Nice Day Cafe bury the hatchet with his former girlfriend, the sharp tongued and steel willed manager of Bar Norfolk who just wants to get swept off her feet? Will she be able to forgive him after his fling with Vice Mayor Burfoot's saucy wife? Will the Waterside team's broken down boat be enough to best the City Council team's pristine schooner? Where will all the horrible people go to drink if they fail?
Find out this summer in Body Shots. In theaters Summer 2009.
norfolk
maybe its time to see term limits on how long people can"sit" in city council what about harborfest too ,one of the biggest beer partys the city throws ,why not look at all the other areas of downtown norfolk troublesum public housing ,,depleted houses why does this always go unoticed???
goodbye
Both of those bars have run their course. They have been in a city owned building dodging full rent for way too long. I have no doubt that any money invested has been fully recovered. It is ridiculous to subsidize an expensive building for the sake of a couple of bars that the owners don't want to manage appropriately for such high profile venues. They cost the city valuable resources by having to constantly enforce order there. If the owners cared they would have made an effort long ago.
waterside entertainment
It seems the last time I was in waterside there was a Hooter's but I guess that is ok for business, after all thats the environment I like for my children...not
no lost tears here
both establishments , flat out suck , they serve nasty food , warm beer and need to get out of waterside , the city of norfolk built waterside with tax dollars promising family friendly stores and food establishments , on the waterfront in the last few years its just turned into a skank magnet ,they need to close all the bars and revamp it , ,
Do not deny liquor license for Waterside Bars
It is my understanding that the City of Norfolk just renovated the entire Waterside area for approx. $15 million dollars. Now I am sure they (tax payers) would definitely want to see a "profit" from the monies disbursed for the renovations. With the economy in the condition it is currently in, I know the City of Norfolk is not relying soley on "family restaurants" to generate a large revenue base. With the upcoming fall and winter seasons approaching, tourism and outdoor family gatherings will soon be a thing of the past. Allow the Bars to continue business as usual;and increase police patrol in the downtown area. Children should not be out late at night in areas that are not age appropriate anyway.
back in the day
We didn't have any problem when Reggies was there and 18yos were allowed to buy reasonably-priced beer from vendors at HarborFest while others Philip Morris gave out free 10-pack cigarettes. 'course Norfolk didn't have a Mayor back then. Think there might be a correlation?
What thugs?
People are complaining hear about "thugs" at Waterside but I've been down there and have never seen any. The real thugs, the ones making millions off the druggies in the middle class, have too much money to make to waste being around drunk college kids. These bars were closed for underage drinking, fighting, and drunk sex by the patrons. These are in the same area where clubs got suing discriminating against those who "looked" thuggish without being "thuggish". Twasn't the thugs causing the problems
Waterside and Drunks
Why do we need to close down these two loser businesses when we could just build more prisons? Yeah! That's it. Let's just build more prisons and we can lock up all public drunks and throw away the key! Building more prisons is the answer to all our societal problems.
broken windows
That place is a dump. Who cares who went there to have a good time. They are now going to go some place else. Now all the parking garages along Granby and Colley are going to be full of urine. Young kids are going to go out and drink. No one lives next to that dump and the cops make plenty of money every weekend of the offenses. Now I think that no place downtown is safe because the young clubs scene kids will be like roaches everywhere. Good plan Norfolk. Maybe we should start asking the cops where the best place to go out would be.