Kid Rock’s Bar Sends Employees Home During Busy Period as ICE Approaches

Staff at three bars owned by Steve Smith were sent home because of worries about an immigration raid.

On a busy Saturday night, Kid Rock’s popular Nashville restaurant, Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse, stopped serving because management was afraid of an ICE raid. Reports say managers told workers who didn’t have the right paperwork to leave right away, just as lots of people came in from local sports and music events.

It’s not just the restaurant. Rippy’s Honky Tonk and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, two other busy bars, also closed their kitchens. As a well-known Trump fan and local businessman, Steve Smith owns all three.

Workers at the diner told the Nashville Scene that they were already short-staffed because of ongoing immigration sweeps in Tennessee. At Kid Rock’s bar around 9:30 p.m., when business was at its busiest, managers are said to have told undocumented workers to leave, leaving the kitchen empty and the eating rush hanging.

This quick shutdown happened at the same time that Homeland Security said almost 200 people were arrested in a joint operation between ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Even though it’s not clear if Smith gave the order, his bars didn’t take a chance. Since the kitchens were closed, the orders were thrown out, and customers were left waiting, the night didn’t end with a bang. Instead, there was silence behind the grill.