The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission suspended the ABC permits for Club Onyx on November 27, 2020.
In a nearly month long investigation from October 2020 to November 2020 ABC officials were on site at Club Onyx several times noting various violations at the strip club. The Club Onyx location in question is 5300 Old Pineville Road Charlotte, NC. Club Onyx is a popular strip club that garners a lot of star and celebrity power during the CIAA and NBA All-star festivities.
Club Onyx is accused of having too many people in the club at one time during the Coronavirus pandemic. Lines to get in the strip club were wrapped around the building. Customers were not practicing social distancing and were not consistently wearing face masks, ABC says.
On one night Onyx had over 200 customers inside the strip club. On several nights Onyx allegedly grossly exceeded Coronavirus capacity limitations.
Intimate person to person contact amongst strippers and customers were observed in the form of VIP lap dances. Customers and employees were not wearing face masks, ABC says. Customers were smoking hookah and sharing it, the Coronavirus can be spread that way.
No sanitation of high touch surfaces to prevent cross contamination was observed, ABC says. Customers were consuming alcoholic drinks inside the strip club.
The Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris even issued written documentation that Club Onyx was in violation of Coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Harris went on to state that Club Onyx was putting customers and employees in jerporady of contracting the Coronavirus.
The suspension came as a result of a review of sworn statements submitted by special agents of North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) and notarized statements from officials. Club Onyx has held ABC permits since March 2005. The summary suspension is immediate and is in effect until the case is heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings. The action is authorized under N.C. General Statute 150B-3(c), which states: “The proceedings shall be promptly commenced and determined.”
