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Old City lounge raided and shut down

Law enforcement visits Grey Social.

31 comments

Old City lounge raided and shut down

POSTED: Saturday, January 29, 2011, 2:00 PM

Michael Klein, Philly.com

Filed Under: TableTalk

The closure notice.

Grey Social at 132 Chestnut St. in Old City, which bills itself as "an exclusive retreat aimed for a sophisticated audience," is out of business for now.

Law enforcement, including the state police, city police, and reps of Licenses & Inspections, visited just after midnight Friday night and cited the place for a "non-working fire alarm" and service to minors.

I have a call in to the state police for elaboration.

"Few fake IDs in question" was owner Darin Picorella's text-messaged explanation.

31 comments

Comments (31)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:14 PM, 02/04/2011

Mr. Klein: You failed to mention the rash of assaults that also took place in that area on the weekend.This was mentioned in a clip in your sister paper, The Daily News.

— shankr

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:16 AM, 01/31/2011

please shut down Mad River next

— jackiechiles

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:11 AM, 01/31/2011

From Old City Civic Association Website:
CEASE OPERATIONS ORDER: GREY LOUNGE |
January 30, 2011

You may have seen the notice on the window at Grey Lounge at 132 Chestnut Street.
On the night of January 28, 2011, the 6th District Police, the State Police and L&I conducted an investigation in Grey Lounge. There were 18 people arrested for underage drinking and 13 more minors were inside but they were not observed drinking. L&I issued a Cease Operation Order for no fire alarm system and serving minors. The State Police (Liquor Control Enforcement / LCE) is conducting an investigation and will be in touch with the owner.

Our thanks to the police and to L&I for taking action on this problem.

— alwyatt

0 like this / 1 don't • Posted 12:20 AM, 01/31/2011

My kind of place along with dirty Franks.

— Powelton villager

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:12 PM, 01/30/2011

I drink at home.

— tiger

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:55 AM, 01/30/2011

Ate there any good straight clubs in Center and Old City anymore? If so I'd like to know where that are ?

— vrb1955

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:10 AM, 01/30/2011

Yup, the vast majority are fine. Relax.

— evolutionary

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:48 AM, 01/30/2011

Drink someplace else.

— WantToKnow

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:13 PM, 01/29/2011

THIS PLACE IS A DISGRACE ITS OPERATING ON PENNYS AND DOING ANYTHING TO STAY AFLOAT, AFTER THAT ARTICLE IN PHILLY STYLE MAGAZINE ABOUT THE DOOR GUY TELLING AN UNDER AGE GIRL TO MAKE PRETEND THEY ARE SHOWING A FOURM OF ID AND THEY WILL LET THEM IN.
I AM SURPRISED THEY MADE IT THIS LONG.
THEY DO NOT EVEN SERVE FOOD AND THEY BRING A BAD CROWD TO OLD CITY.
I STOPED IN ON NEW YEARS EVE AND IT WAS DEAD WHAT A JOKE PLACE
AND THAT GUY DARIN ONE OF THE 10 OWNERS WAS OUTSIDE BEGGING PEOPLE TO COME IN WHAT A JOKE (SHUT THEM DOWN QUICK) BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT IN THAT DIRTY PLACE
AND ANYONE WRITING SOMETHING POSITIVE ON THIS PLACE MOST LIKELY WORKS THERE AND IS ON DRUGS

— OLDCITYFAN

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:20 PM, 01/29/2011

This is just another case of the city trying to get more money. There isn't a bar or restaurant in the city that doesn't have one violation or another. The chief enforcer of L&I was just arrested a few months ago. If you don't pay, you won't stay!!!

— wawa22

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:59 PM, 01/29/2011

Good I hope they get the ret of them!!

— mamcintyre

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:23 PM, 01/29/2011

you moron there there are a ton of places in the city with out violation and that have been in business for years with out any violations or being shut down on a friday night in there first year

— OLDCITYFAN

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:51 PM, 01/29/2011

I live across the street from this joint. Not neccesarily a "thug" type establishment, as others have put. More accurate would be guidos, and wannabe guidos (as unbelievable as that may sound, there is such a thing). These cats will now have to throw on their Ed Hardy or Affliction shirts and go elsewhere, hopefully not next door to Eulogy though.

— Eman84

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:09 AM, 01/30/2011

The wannabe guido is a scary thing indeed.

— evolutionary

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:56 PM, 01/29/2011

Law enforcement please don't stop there, these "establishments" cater to losers, underaged, etc. - these money grabbing watering holes and their rowdies and minors and other undesirables should be marooned to some industrial area like most cities do - NOT in a semi-sophisticated internationally historic urban residential neighborhood.

— Liberty4All

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:55 PM, 01/30/2011

"The hood"? Second and Chestnut is "the hood"? Do you even read these articles? Or do you just scan the headline and start posting about "pay to play"?

— Lefty Grove

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:34 PM, 01/29/2011

what is a sophisticated "under-aged" clientel? oh I get it, thug type!

— Miss M.

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:30 PM, 01/29/2011

If no one makes formal complaints, the authorities won't show up.

— tonyS

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:11 PM, 01/29/2011

I live right around the corner from that bar and it's great that they shut it down. It's total thug life there. Old City is really falling apart at night.

— PHL Insight

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:54 PM, 01/29/2011

"electrical violations (for an improper fire alarm) "typical L&I B.S! Most corrupt office in the city strikes again. This is the worst city in America for Small Business Owners.

— bkg126

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:14 AM, 01/30/2011

Maybe you missed the "service to minors" part. Are you suggesting that we keep these sh*tholes open?

— phillychaos

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:08 AM, 01/31/2011

Councilman DiCicco did everything in his power to try to keep this nuisance nightclub open in Old City. DiCicco is determined to kill Old City quality of life. Vote him out.

— alwyatt

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:28 PM, 01/29/2011

Sounds like the envelope to the captain never got there. Snow???

— Wilhelm Von Humboldt

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:54 PM, 01/29/2011

But was their Staff equally represented - racially?

— He Visto Todo

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:42 PM, 01/29/2011

Funny how I've never seen a raid like this at any of the biker bars or the other low-life filled "pubs" that infest our city.

— JLH

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:31 PM, 01/29/2011

Thug Bar

— Ed Sullivan

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About this blog

Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here. Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.