Nipsey's restaurant owners agree to surrender license following fire, ongoing battle with city

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Nipsey's restaurant owners agreed to surrender their license following a fire and ongoing battle with city, Alderman Michelle Harris announced in a Facebook post. 

"Although Nipsey's has agreed to voluntarily surrender their license, I have asked that city to still move forward on revocation at Friday's hearing," Harris said. "I spoke with the building owner late this afternoon and he is prepared to save the existing iconic structure if he permitted to do so by the Building Department. Stay tuned."

This comes after a fire swept through Nipsey's Restaurant & Lounge, at 9156. S. Stony Island Ave. in Calumet Heights on Monday.

The front of the building was intact after the fire, but it was still a total loss. Fencing was put up outside the building as demolition crews arrived to tear it down for safety reasons. The Illinois Fire Marshal Arson Investigation unit was among those on the scene, looking into the cause of the fire.

The fire came amid a push to shut the business down.  

Harris said the most recent business in the building, Nipsey's, opened about two years ago. She said customers created a lot of problems for many in the community.

"They drink. They leave their trash. They have shot up an entire block. They're fighting," Harris said.

Video posted to social media showed a fight inside Nipsey's just this past the weekend, right before the fire.

The city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has held numerous hearings about the restaurant. The most recent was just last week.

The business has been cited for exceeding occupancy limits, failing to keep a record and call police about illegal activity, and failing to display a sign telling patrons to respect neighbors, exit quietly, and not to loiter.

The next administrative hearing involving Nipsey's is on March 11. 

Reached by phone, the owner said he is devastated about the fire. He was out of town Monday and was heading back to Chicago to see the damage firsthand.