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A glitzy Miami Beach steakhouse has sued the city over its spring break curfew that forces bars and restaurants to close early, calling the order “arbitrary and capricious” in seeking to limit the South Beach area that is affected by the emergency order imposed by local officials.
The lawsuit was brought against the city by Papi Steak, a celebrity-friendly restaurant known for its prime beef as well as its exotic locale and which stands to lose thousands of dollars a night for as long as the curfew remains in effect during one of the busiest periods of the tourist season.
“The curfew is overboard and is not narrowly tailored to advance a compelling governmental interest because it prohibits activity south of Fifth Street in Miami Beach, which has not had the spring break related crowds and violence sought to be addressed by the curfew,” the lawsuit states, according to the Miami Herald.
“The curfew is arbitrary and capricious because it seeks to restrict activities over a broad swatch of South Beach without regard to any legitimate governmental need to prohibit travel, assembly, and other constitutionally protected activities throughout the curfew area,” the lawsuit reads, contending that the upscale area in which Papi Steak is located hasn’t experienced the unruly crowds that the city is trying to clamp down on.
“The suit said the curfew means losing the bustling late-night stream of customers for Papi, a restaurant backed by Miami Beach nightlife mogul David Grutman and his Groot Hospitality company. Turning them away in the middle of March causes even more damage, the suit said,” the Miami Herald reported.
“Plaintiff derives significant revenue during the late-night hours between 10 PM and final closing between 2 AM or 3 AM. While Plaintiff is open seven days a week, its busiest nights are Thursday through Sunday nights,” the suit said.
“Particularly during the Spring Break season, which is an economically critical period for Miami Beach businesses,” the paper reported.
City commissioners approved the emergency curfew order by City Manager Alina Hudak after two shooting incidents on crowded Miami Beach streets that were filled with spring break revelers injured five people, prompting the response from local officials.
(Video: YouTube/Inside Edition)
Under the emergency order, bars and restaurants are forced to close at midnight in an area that is well-known for late-night partying. Liquor store sales are also cut off at 6 pm in what many feel is an overreaction to the violent crime that has accompanied the spring break revelry in recent years.
As part of the order, the sale of packaged alcohol is prohibited starting at 6 p.m. tonight.
For further details: https://t.co/1wY23U8ABO
2/2
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 25, 2022
The lawsuit came days after the glitzy restaurant was the scene of an altercation between UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington that drew media attention.
These are the moments Jorge #Masvidal, a globally popular #UFC fighter, surrendered to #Miami Beach police Wednesday night on a felony battery charge. @roshloweWPLG reports pic.twitter.com/2zU68NZVA4
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) March 25, 2022
The restaurant’s fare includes a $1,000 tomahawk steak, a massive mouthwatering cut of prime beef served up along with a show inspired by the Quentin Tarantino movie “Pulp Fiction” where white-gloved waiters trot out the slab of raw meat in a gold briefcase.
The Miami New Times describes the experience, “It begins with an entrance song, which booms across the dimly illuminated space, commanding the attention of everyone in the dining room. From there, a troupe of well-appointed servers begin to dance and shout, not unlike a rowdy wedding party taking over the dance floor, as they guide the steak from kitchen to table.”
“When they arrive, a white-gloved presenter offers a tableside closeup of your dinner, delivered in a gold-lined briefcase. At your side — music still blaring, servers chanting, lasers dancing across the table — he opens the lid and a puff of smoke gives way to a glowing, bedazzled signature that reads (what else?) “Papi Steak.”
@ashlivvv @papisteak is an experience 🥩🍾✨ #fyp #papisteak #miamirestaurants #tiktokfood #miamifoodie #wagyu ♬ Major Bag Alert (feat. Migos) – DJ Khaled
“A bed of ice sits the star of the show: a 55-ounce kosher cut of uncooked, bone-in Australian Wagyu. Before you can blink, a hot brand makes contact, sizzling as it sears the restaurant’s name into the massive slab, releasing the aroma of melting fat,” the outlet continues. “Just like that, the show is over, the case is closed, and your dinner — enough to feed a table of six — is whisked back to the kitchen where it’s cooked to order.”
On Friday, a Miami judge upheld the emergency order and kept the curfew in place.
“We can confirm that the judge ruled in favor of the City of Miami Beach, and has allowed us to keep the State of Emergency order and the curfew in place,” City of Miami Beach Spokesperson Matt Kenny said,” according to NBC Miami.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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