Country music artist Morgan Wallen postponed the opening day of This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, his Nashville establishment that was originally slated to open in time for Memorial Day.
Though neither Wallen nor the bar offered a reason for their decision to postpone the launch, the decision follows a vote by the Nashville Metro Council to deny the sign the establishment sought to place on the exterior of its building.
It was additionally claimed by Scoop: Nashville that Wallen’s bar was both denied a catering permit and a temporary permit to sell alcohol by the Nashville Beer Board, with the outlet reporting the efforts were delayed by lack of approvals from Fire and Safety.
This Bar denied reporting suggesting lack of permits contributed to the decision to delay the opening in a statement to Country Chord, which reported a spokesman instead pointed to complications with launching the enormous establishment.
The spokesman stated, “The ground-up construction of a six-story venue launching with hundreds of team members is a tremendous amount of work and a complex process. When we open, we want This Bar to be an exceptional experience for guests. Unfortunately, the process requires more time, and we are not able to open and provide that experience this Memorial Day weekend.”
An exterior sign for This Bar was rejected in a 30-3 vote by the Metro council last week, with some councilors noting Morgan currently faces criminal charges after he allegedly threw a chair off the roof of another Nashville bar and nearly hit a police officer.
The resolution previously passed through the council’s Planning and Zoning and Transportation and Infrastructure committees without opposition, and Council Member at Large Delish Porterfield appeared to highlight her personal objection to Wallen after the vote.
“I don’t want to see a billboard with the name of a person who’s throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs and using the N-word,” said Porterfield, referencing both the recent criminal charges levied at Wallen and the publication of 2021 audio for which the country music star has since apologized.
Council members Jeff Eslick (District 11), Jennifer Webb (District 10) and Jacob Kupin (District 19) voted in favor of allowing the sign.
Council Member Courtney Johnston, who is challenging U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) with claims he is ineffective in the House, abstained from the vote.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Morgan Wallen” by Morgan Wallen.
