NORFOLK, Va. — After months of an ongoing legal battle with the city of Norfolk after having their conditional use permit pulled in September of 2022, the owners of Scotty Quixx Nightclub announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday that they would not reopen.
"This post has been very difficult for me to write and may be a little long so sorry in advance. It was just a thought one day that turned into a reality when we purchased Scotty Quixx almost 10 years ago. We initially said no to this place but had a change of heart and rolled the dice..." co-owner Chris Johnson wrote.
"Al and I had no real idea what we were getting into but we figured it out along the way, had a lot of fun, created many memories and made so many new friends and family along the way."
Scotty Quixx initially went up for a permit revocation hearing in September, after Norfolk's city manager said the council would be cracking down on permit violations to reduce crime in Downtown Norfolk.
The letter Norfolk sent to Scotty Quixx said its meals tax reports to the city and the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority didn't match.
After getting that letter, co-owner Al Ragas told 13News Now it was vague and suspicious.
"It doesn't tell us when we did that discrepancy. And if it was, if there was something we did wrong, we were never given the opportunity to fix it," he said.
By Sept. 27, the nightclub's conditional use permit had been pulled. That's the permission a business needs to sell alcohol and stay open until 2 a.m.
Owner Chris Johnson said that means they were essentially shut down -- because they don't have a lunch crowd and couldn't meet the business' expenses with a six-hour window of operations.
Documents filed in the Norfolk Circuit Court in October claim the city council "failed to follow its own policies and acted upon unjustified animus against, and stereotypes about, nightlife bars and restaurants in the Downtown Norfolk area."
Wednesday's post emphasized that while the owners are discouraged by the lack of progress, they aren't completely giving up their fight.
"We can't describe the hurt and frustration we are taking on as all this has been happening. We have been fighting to reopen since late September to bring this place back that has been there for close to 20 years and not much has come from it unfortunately," the post continued.
"We have decided to pursue a different route in regards to our fight and as of now Scotty Quixx will officially not be reopening...Our fight isn't over yet!"