Readers of this website will surely recall the recent articles on the ongoing saga of Club Onyx in Houston. Club Onyx has become the most high-profile club reopening since the beginning of the global pandemic, making national news headlines and keeping this industry glued to its developments. Club Onyx opened its doors at midnight on Friday, May 1, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order allowing some businesses, including restaurants, to reopen at twenty-five percent capacity. Eric Langan, the CEO of RCI (which owns Club Onyx), was on hand for the reopening.
Immediately upon reopening that night, Houston Police arrived but weren’t quite sure how to handle the opening for fear of not having probable cause, particularly when Langan was able to produce the appropriate documents for police. Langan showed authorities and news crews his full-service restaurant permit from the Houston Health Department that lists the club as a “full-service restaurant”. Onyx serves staples like pasta, burgers, wings and even breakfast dishes.
On Friday, May 8th, the same judge that issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued a ruling that clarified that Onyx could only operate as a restaurant, with no entertainers whatsoever. This ruling would seem to suggest that no one wearing a bathing suit — not a server, not an entertainer, not even a customer — would be allowed in any restaurant in Texas.
Club Onyx in Houston, TX was granted a temporary restraining court order to reopen for business as a restaurant after a district attorney claimed that the club was not a restaurant and ordered police to arrest the company president if the club failed to comply to the Phase I coronavirus lockdown measures. Onyx management had already taken measures to increase social distancing, including banning lap dances and requiring that all employees wear masks. It also ceased offering nude entertainment — dancers were required to wear bathing suits and performed at a distance from customers.
But on Friday, May 8th, the same judge that issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) allowing Onyx to remain open and serve food issued a ruling that clarified that Onyx could only operate as a restaurant, with no entertainers whatsoever. This ruling would seem to suggest that no one wearing a bathing suit — not a server, not an entertainer, not even a customer — would be allowed in any restaurant in Texas.
According to Eater Houston, the club was apparently still busy. Langan told the Houston Chronicle that he had to turn away around 300 patrons on the first weekend in order to maintain distancing, and that customers had been tipping the dancers well. But under this new court order, Onyx dancers can not perform at all, “even if the entertainers are fully clothed.”
Stay tuned for updates, as this story is ongoing.
