ST. LOUIS — Reign Restaurant closed on Sept. 10 after its liquor license was temporarily suspended during the excise commission hearing.
St. Louis City Department of Public Safety Director Dan Isom said they've seen improvement. Now, the business faces an order to keep it closed for a year.
"They said how do you feel about Reign being shut down and have to be removed from your space within the next 30 days? I said 'I'm sorry what?'" Reign Restaurant owner Dana Kelly said.
Kelly said the city's order to close her business for a year was a surprise.
"Before the city can serve me, before the city can even put anything in my door, the reporters are already on my line telling me what's happening to my business and that is poor on the city's part," said Kelly.
Isom said the public nuisance hearing officer issued an order to close Reign after a Sept. 10 hearing, based on 19 calls for service and repeated incidents of nuisance activity.
"There was testimony and evidence provided to support the fact that Reign contributed to a nuisance on Washington and the hearing officer heard all the evidence and came to the conclusion that the establishment or at least the location would be closed for 12 months," Isom said.
The city held a public nuisance hearing addressing concerns about Reign on Sept. 20. Kelly argues violence never happened inside of Reign and continued in other areas of downtown since they've closed.
"We don't understand, because nothing happened in our place, but something's happened here and here and here, but we're the only ones being shut down," Kelly said.
Isom said they've seen improvement in the area and have to hold businesses accountable.
"Establishments that have a pattern of incidents happening around their location from people who are patronizing their location, do have a responsibility to ensure more security not only for people who might just be moving through those locations but also for the people who are leaving their location," Isom said.
When asked what's next for Dana Kelly, she responded, "She fights and she continues to work. I'll do everything I can for the people who are relying on me."
The order said Kelly has 30 days from when the order was issued Friday to board up the building and leave.
There is an appeal process she can go through to challenge the city's order.
She's working with her legal team to prepare for the next steps.