Stay Social Tap & Table announced Friday that they would not remain open into 2023.
In a social media video post Renee Hajek announced that after losing their court appeal with Columbia County’s they would be forced to close permanently.
The business, which hosted what they deemed a “family friendly drag show” in Junel, claimed in a social media post Saturday that the license revocation was related to the drag show.
“This revocation was 100% about our drag shows, and is a violation of my civil rights. These shows did not break any laws and were as harmless as the Fake it to Make it lip sync performances by Augusta Press publisher Joe Edge and Dr. Chris Ewert.”
VEIW STAY TAP SOCIAL & TABLE FINANCIALS HERE
Hajek later called out District 3 Commissioner Gary Richardson claiming that County Administrator Scott Johnson stated Richardson wanted to press the issue.
“Being a ‘Sparkly’ business man, one would think he would know the difference between a P&L and a gross sales report,” Hajek wrote. Richardson owns the Sparkle Express Car Wash locations in the CSRA.
The financials, which were provided to The Augusta Press through an Open Records Request, confirm that audited reports from the business’s accounting firm show they were not in compliance with the county’s alcohol ordinance.
Hajek later provided edited financials showing the percentage of food sales higher but still not at the level of compliance. A judge ruled on Dec. 12 that the business had failed to comply with the ordinance.
Looking forward to seeing how her federal civil rights trial plays out.
I have no investment of any kind in this establishment, and may question a choice or two that have been made, but to all the naysayers piling on social media, just remember that this is a small business that has failed. It could’ve been someone you know, or a family member faced with this set-back. Do not pile on — it does not reflect well on your character or your compassion. Ultimately, we all lose.
Columbia County needs to get with the times. Society is changing all around us and Columbia County needs to start adopting the wishes of their residents. I don’t know the laws for Richmond County but I’m sure they would welcome this business with open arms. Maybe it’s time to run Gary Richardson out of town!!
The wishes of some residents. Not all of them. Some of them got their wish. For now it’s still a 70ish percent conservative county, though the county made the mistake of running it so well it’s been attracting left-wingers.
This!!
What a mess this has become.
Regardless of who owns what, who is for or against what actions, this was a bar not a restaurant which it was licensed to be, So it is just that it be closed down along with any others in our County, no matter who wants a bar to prosper, we do not allow bars in Columbia County that cannot sell an equal amount of food, so they are Food joints with alcohol. P.S. SHE HAS NO FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION TO STAND ON!
“I am all about the rules” “I’m compliant” “I don’t want special treatment”
Missed the mark on the one ordinance essential to her business. Insists on blaming everyone else. … And look, she sounds like a nice lady. She probably genuinely is. But the lack of acknowledgement that it was her numbers, even the revised ones, that fell short is absurd. If the mark is 50% and you think 48% should be close enough, you’re asking for rules to be bent. You’re asking for special treatment.
To those that are unhappy that the current group of commissioners, whom are voted in by the citizens they represent, are conservatives with traditional values, my advice is get behind a liberal who wants to run for a seat on the commission and see how far that gets you. There are many reasons why Columbia County is one of the fastest growing in the state of Georgia, not the least of which is there are no bars or strip joints. I hope the lady who opened Stay Social will find a county that is willing to accept her business or she could decide to follow the legally binding rules she agreed to when she opened her bar/restaurant initially.
Maybe somebody will put a Krispy Kreme there. Now that would be awesome.
Well, since she brought it up….”look around the country”… yep look. People don’t want the drag shows… there’s been video of “family friendly” turning not family friendly. People especially in conservative areas don’t want that stuff. She made a poor decision and now has paid for it. I never went to her restaurant but I didn’t want it to close… but people didn’t want what she started with the drag shows. Sorry to say it but Get Woke, Go Broke.
I hope she succeeds in her next endeavors.