Two bars had hearings before the Chattanooga Beer Board Thursday morning for repeat violations. Southside Social, 1818 Chestnut St., got a five-day beer license suspension, and Doc Holliday’s, 724 Ashland Terrace, wound up with a 10-day suspension.
Southside Social was there due to the charge of failing to immediately report to police, a fight or disorder on the premises. It was not reported when the incident happened in the early morning of Feb.
9 because no one saw it except Nathan Thompson, who was head of the bar’s security at the time, and he was involved. He is the person who should have called the police but was arrested instead, it was stated. The confrontation took place in an isolated, partitioned-off room with few customers and which is not visible to employees unless they are in that area. No employee of the bar was aware of a fight until police arrived.
The guard had observed a couple coming out of a restroom together, which Chattanooga Police Officer John Foster “agreed that it probably wasn’t proper.” After Thompson confronted them, a verbal argument escalated, ending with the guard pushing the customer down the back steps which are rarely used by customers. After a second shove, the two began to fight and the customer was hit twice in the face with a radio used for security communications, resulting in cuts to the man’s face and a call for an ambulance. At this point the man told police, “I threw up my hands.” He crossed the street to the Finley Stadium parking lot and called the police.
Officer Foster said the security director’s story matched that of the victim, but while talking to him Officer Foster said the guard appeared nervous and exhibited signs of impairment and admitted he had been using cocaine. When the security video was not accessible that night, the officer made a decision to arrest the guard. The fact that that he had been carrying a gun in the crowded bar with 300 people was a concern to Beer Board member Brooke King. Officer Foster responded that there are pros and cons but “with the crowd that was there, I’d like to be armed.”
Josh Lang, general manager of Southside Social, was not present that night but food manager Eric Fish had been left in charge. He had headphones and disputed that a call for back-up had been made by the security guard that night. Mr. Lang had trusted Thompson and given him authority to hire a security team. With the zero-tolerance policy, the head of security was fired on the spot the following day. Half of his team left with him because they were friends, said the manager. Now the bar is using J. Hall Security to supplement their own team. Mr. Lang told the board that all disorders are reported, but conceded no call was made that night. "If I was in the restaurant business, I wouldn’t want to also be in the security business,” Vice Chairman of the Board Dan Mayfield told the manager.
This violation was the seventh time Southside Social had been cited to the Beer Board since May 2016. The five-day suspension for a violation of delayed assault will start on March 19.
Raulston Lamar Combs, owner of Doc Holliday’s, was at the Beer Board meeting for the third time on the same violation of allowing an employee to consume alcohol or be intoxicated on the premises where they work. An anonymous caller alerted police on the night of Feb. 9 that the owner and bartender at Doc Holliday’s were both intoxicated. At 12:15 Chattanooga Police Officer Michael Terry responded. By then the owner had left and the bartender was described as being unsteady, slurring her words while having a strong smell of alcohol, and she refused to take a breathalyzer test. The officer made the decision to close the bar at that time.
The police who were present waited in the parking lot while customers were leaving. During that time, they received a second anonymous call saying that the owner, Mr. Combs, had pulled up in the lot but did not get out of his truck.
At the Beer Board meeting, Mr. Combs disagreed with testimony from the Chattanooga Police. He claimed he did go inside when he came back to the bar after he learned police were there. He said he went in to calm his bartender who was upset that police had loudly talked to her in front of customers. Officer John Collins, the liaison with the Beer Board, disputed that remark. He was the officer who delivered the citation, he told the board.
“You’re disputing the officer?” board member Cynthia Coleman asked Mr. Combs. “The staff was upset, so if you went inside, then why didn’t you go back out and talk to the officers?” to try and clarify what had happened, asked board member Brooke King. “I figured I’d have to come here and see you anyway,” responded Mr. Combs. “That’s no excuse,” said Ms. King.
The 10-day suspension of the beer license was unanimously approved after four previous motions failed which had shorter penalties. The suspension will begin on March 19.
Three special events in the month of March were given a license to sell beer. St. Paddy’s on the Parkway 2020 taking place on Saturday, March 14, from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m., will benefit SoundCorps. This organization exists to help musicians build their careers, said organizer Stratton Tingle. This year it will also raise money to provide Hamilton County public schools with instruments. Because of construction along Patten Parkway, this year the party will take place on half of the parkway with access to the Honest Pint. There will be two stages and food vendors lined up against the construction area. ID’s will be checked at the gate.
The second annual Chattanooga Shamrock Run 2020 will take place at 201 Riverfront Parkway at Ross’s Landing on March 15 from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Over 400 are expected to participate in the four-mile run and children can participate in “The little Lucky Leprechaun Dash.” There will be green tutus and T-shirts given to participants, and green beer available to those over 21. This event will benefit health and wellness programs at a local school.
Brew Skies Beer and Food Festival 2020 will be held for the fourth year, put on by the Chattanooga Rotary Breakfast Club. It will be held at Miller Park on March 28 from 2-6 p.m. The event will support Rivermont Elementary School and the Clean Water Project in Haiti. Around 1,000 people are expected at this ticketed event. There will be local and craft breweries serving their own beers. It is a 21 and over event.