HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to revoke the use permit to Chances Restaurant and Lounge amid multiple violations and violence there, including a homicide in May.
Man dies following shooting at Chances Restaurant and Lounge in Hampton
The city’s Planning Commission had recently voted to recommend that council revoke the use permit for the restaurant on Settlers Landing Road following several violent incidents. Among the grounds for revoking the use permit:
- Pattern of violent incidents and ineffectiveness of permitholder’s responses indicates security staffing is not “sufficient to monitor and control patron behavior”
- Continued violence indicates that permitholder does not fully “report all criminal activity” or “cooperate” with HPD investigations
- Multiple VABC violations document that permitholder does not “comply with all restrictions or requirements imposed by VABC”
- Oct. 1 revocation of VABC license indicates permitholder’s failure to “obtain and maintain all applicable licenses to conduct the business”
- The city’s May 15 Notice of Violation regarding indoor smoking indicates permitholder’s violation of state law
- The city’s May 6 Notice of Violation regarding window treatments indicates permitholder’s violation regarding window transparency
- The permitholder’s entity status with the State Corporation Commission is “Pending Inactive,” which if not corrected will cause its legal existence to lapse
Hampton Police and city officials have cited a lack of security and crowd management, among other issues the restaurant has been dealing with.
During the commission meeting, a Hampton Police officer had noted the public concern over fights and firearm-related offenses at the restaurant, laying out several violent incidents outside Chances and playing a video of the moments gunshots rang out in front of it during a recent shooting.
A use permit for Chances had been approved in March 2024, allowing for live entertainment and alcohol sales, and it opened for business that October…