NORFOLK, Va. — A little more than one year has passed since a quintuple shooting outside Chicho's on Granby Street. It ended with three people dead and two others hurt.
Since then, several other shootings in the downtown corridor followed, including one outside Legacy Restaurant & Lounge. That incident injured three people and a sheriff's deputy.
The acts of violence spurred city leaders to crack down on compliance for nightlife establishments in the entertainment district.
Fast forward to this week, consultants with a firm called Safe Night, LLC led a series of trainings at Hilton Norfolk. They met with restaurant owners, police officers and members of other groups with ties to Downtown Norfolk.
During a Thursday session, president of the Downtown Norfolk Council (DNC) Mary Miller showed off the branding a new voluntary hospitality accreditation program. It is called Gold Bar, with a slogan reading "Raising the Bar for Norfolk Nightlife."
Baxter Simmons with Baxter's Sports Lounge told 13News Now he is eager to see how this will enhance the experience for all downtown patrons.
"I think it's going to be great because with everything that's happened in Norfolk in the past couple of years, they'll know that everybody is working to make it a safer place," Simmons said.
The outline and training for Gold Bar are still in development. That said, Baxter's, Brothers Steakhouse and Legacy Restaurant and Lounge are working with DNC as part of the pilot phase.
Moreover, the series of Safe Night Out training sessions this week served as a precursor to the launch of Gold Bar. Consultants focused on the importance of collaboration, outreach, relationship building, safety strategies and more.
"We kind of provide a template, but we want this to be Norfolk's," said Molly Mastoras with Safe Night, LLC.
Consultants also exposed participants to programs that have worked in other cities, like Arlington.
"It took the better part of three years to really start seeing long-term outcomes that will maintain. but it's worth doing because ultimately, everyone benefits from this," said Dimitrios Mastoras with Safe Night, LLC.
Recognizing the process will take time, Jim Manning with Buggati's nightclub believes it will work.
"We're very excited about this. We think it's comprehensive, it's socially inclusive," he told 13News Now.
Manning said he is looking forward keep building on policies already in place, while also working toward Gold Bar accreditation.
For those interested in learning more about Gold Bar, DNC set up this online request form.