Reserv restaurant in South Loop could lose license after complaints of noise, fighting

There are new calls to revoke the license of a South Loop restaurant after complaints of noise from neighbors and, more recently, a brawl caught on camera outside the building.

The owner says he's working to improve safety, but it may not be enough.

As of Tuesday night, an orange cease-and-desist sign is on the restaurant's door. The city has ordered the business to stop playing live music and charging people to enter the venue. 

The owner says it's a minor setback, yet residents and alderman insisting this venue is days away from losing its license.

Recently, a fight including mostly women but some men occurred outside Reserv restaurant and bar. Video shot by neighbors in Printers Row shows Chicago police responded in large numbers to clear the crowd in what was described as a brawl in late August.

"Don't let that brawl be Reserv. You know, we are something other than what happened," said owner Gerald Joseph.

Joseph shared a video with CBS News Chicago that he says shows his security team was alongside CPD trying to gain control.

He wants to move beyond the fight.  Yet that's getting harder to do after the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection slapped this orange cease-and-desist order on the front door of the business just days later.

Joseph doesn't think there is a correlation between the fight and the sticker being placed on the door. He says the BACP told him the only thing he needed was a building inspection.

Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) calls the Reserv a problem business and is not happy the doors to the Printers Row business are still open.

"Our small businesses are the backbone of our community, but they have to do right," he said.

Robinson says since opening less than a year ago, neighbors have complained about the loud noise from the rooftop bar and the large and unruly crowds spilling out from the venue, especially on weekends. He says the latest brawl that started inside and spilled onto the streets solidifies his decision to BACP.

"My recommendation is their license needs to be revoked," Robinson said.

Joseph says he would not like to have what happened at his business on his front steps, but says it's not just his business and that "stuff like this happens in the city."

"We have a great business across the street called Press Box. They have been thriving. Unfortunately, Reserv wants to turn this restaurant and bar into a club and that's not happening in Printers Row," Robinson said.

Joseph says he's now raising the age limit to 30 and older, hoping to eliminate problems from younger patrons. However, the alderman is moving forward to shut the doors permanently. 

A hearing on revoking the license is set for Sept. 18.