Kid Rock’s Nashville Bar Loses Beer Permit Over COVID Violations

Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk and Rock & Roll Steakhouse will have its permit to sell beer suspended for five days after the Nashville venue served patrons at its bar — a violation of the city’s active public-health emergency order. Currently, watering holes in Tennessee’s Davidson County are prohibited from seating and serving customers at their bars.

A photo taken last weekend inside the subtly named entertainment venue, which is co-owned by Nashville businessman Steve Smith, showed a packed bar and no masks from most customers or servers. The latter is an infraction and led to its own separate citation. The temporary suspension of the beer permit was a result of a later inspection.

“They were in violation of two points of the order that states bar areas must remain closed to the public,” inspector Melvin Brown told The Tennessean. “No interaction with the public is allowed, and alcohol can only be served at tables and booths.”

Nashville is currently in Phase 2 of its reopening plan. The third phase, which does allow bar seating at half capacity, is expected to begin next week.

Three other venues also received a five-day beer-permit suspension: the Moxy Nashville Downtown hotel; Nudie’s Honky Tonk, named after Western tailor Nudie Cohn; and the beerhall Broadway Brewhouse. The suspensions, which only affect beer sales (liquor can still be served) won’t happen any time soon, however. The cited businesses have 14 days to appeal.