Downtown kitchens shuttered over the weekend to avoid immigration agents in at least three locations owned by conservative restaurateur Steve Smith.
Smith, the wealthy owner of Broadway establishments including Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Rippy’s, has been a public conservative presence in Nashville, notably mounting local opposition to COVID-related restrictions on public gatherings. He’s also a Trump supporter and donor. Recent panic at his restaurants indicates that his own Broadway empire — and the wealth it has generated — relies directly on employing immigrants not authorized to work in the United States.
At the instruction of managers, restaurant employees without legal citizenship status left the premises at The Diner, Honky Tonk Central and Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse during a primetime rush on Saturday night to avoid detention by ICE agents. Locations, already struggling to provide full service, suffered through at least Sunday due to fears from employees who did not want to risk arrest by returning to work.
“We were already understaffed because of the ICE raids throughout the weekend,” an employee, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation, tells the Scene. “Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home. Events at the Ryman, Ascend, the Savannah Bananas’ baseball game all let out, and it was crazy busy. But there was no one in the kitchen to cook the food.”
Employees do not know if Smith, who could not be reached for comment, was directly consulted. In recent days, many restaurant employees have chosen to call out and stay home with family rather than risk detention in transit. This has prompted managers throughout the city to coordinate transportation for immigrant employees, including at Smith’s downtown locations.
State troopers and unmarked ICE vehicles dramatically increased nightly traffic stops on May 3 in South Nashville, where the joint operation has resulted in at least 196 arrests by ICE agents. These arrests included 101 individuals with no criminal history, contradicting Trump administration claims that immigration enforcement has been targeted toward violent criminals. Less than half had any recorded criminal history at all; a DHS press release confirmed that four had previously been involved in violent crime.
Trump and former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, his pick to lead DHS, have publicly praised hurried deportations that include legal residents and appear politically targeted.
The joint operations have drawn pushback from community groups, the mayor, Metro councilmembers and Nashville’s immigrants, who have continued to rally and organize against ICE. Lead Metro attorney Wally Dietz recently told reporters that the city is “powerless” to stop immigration enforcement activity by the state and federal governments.
A message to management at The Diner was not immediately returned.
