ST. LOUIS — Reign Restaurant in downtown St. Louis has now been ordered to close for one year. The Department of Public Safety issued the order Friday. It said the restaurant must close for 12 months starting 30 days from the order.
Last month Reign Restaurant was ordered to stop selling alcohol until an investigation into the venue could be completed.
This all comes after a spike in violence in the area with many neighbors and nearby businesses accusing the restaurant of bringing violence and chaos to the Washington Avenue corridor.
The order on Friday said the Department of Public Safety sent a public nuisance notice letter to the restaurant on Sept. 10, 2020, based on 19 calls for service and repeated incidents of nuisance activity. The notice was posted at the restaurant on Sept. 15, 2020, the order stated. The city says the police service calls have increased since then.
In previous coverage of this story, Reign's owner told 5 On Your Side that the crime trends were happening long before she opened her business.
The order goes on to say the restaurant "has failed to abate the nuisance behavior at their property. The nuisance activity has continued, and become increasingly violent, at the property unabated. The continued nuisance behavior at 1122-26 Washington Avenue is a threat to public safety and welfare of the residents in this community.
According to the order, Reign must board up windows and doors and leave the property within 30 days.
