Councilman Condemns Southside Policy

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – Concerning the new dress code recently instituted at Southside Social, the downtown restaurant and bowling establishment, District 7 Councilman Chris Anderson could not disagree more.

Southside Social, owned and operated by developer John Wise and located at 1818 Chestnut Street, revealed the new rules via Facebook. Among the changes are prohibiting customers from wearing loose-fitting or revealing clothing, plain white tee and sleeveless shirts resembling gym attire, sunglasses after dark, hoodies, backwards caps, combat boots, excessive jewelry, as well as unspecified gang colors.

Councilman Anderson describes the changes as “rigid and lengthy,” believing the recent policy shift is an attempt to keep out minorities.

“Mr. Wise noted in the press that the move was intended to bolster safety at his establishment and to keep out so-called thugs, but one can hardly imagine a way that prohibiting baseball caps (backwards or otherwise), hoodies, or boots invites a safer environment. Rather, policies like these alienate certain residents in our community. Thats shameful.”

The councilman continued, saying, “Put simply – while Mr. Wise has every right to enforce this ridiculous dress code at his establishment, we too also have the right to not patronize restaurants and bars that violate our conscience. And that is exactly what I personally intend to do.”

The social media post specifying the new dress requirements by Southside Social has since been deleted, with a new Facebook post saying, “We apologize if we have offended anybody or misrepresented what we are trying to accomplish. Our priority is only to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of you and the rest of our guests.”