McKinney Restaurant Owner Accuses City Of Harassment
McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – A popular McKinney restaurant owner is granted a temporary restraining order against the city, after he claimed police, fire and code enforcement officers are trying to shut down his business.
Ron Reynolds, owner of Hank's Texas Grill, filed for the order after the City of McKinney mailed him a long list of code violations. The letter stated that the required repairs/fixes be made within a month or his business would be shut down. Reynolds called the 80 violations absurd and said they include fading paint stripes in the parking lot, beer banners and animal heads that haven't been sprayed with fire retardant and improperly hung decorations.
Also at issue, a giant Texas flag that has hung from the wall since the restaurant opened 10 years ago. The city claims it doesn't "meet the applicable interior finish requirements."
"If we were a corporate, a Chili's or some other big corporations, they wouldn't even think of doing something like this," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the code violations are only the beginning of the city's intimidation tactics; that he believes all stem from an improper conduct complaint filed against a police officer for an incident inside his restaurant several years ago.
"I've done everything the city has asked me to from day one," said Reynolds.
According to the restaurant owner, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix the violations. "We've put our life, our life savings and our life into this restaurant and we plan to fight until the end."
The city declined to comment citing legal concerns.
Both sides go to court on September 18 so a judge can decide if the code violations are justified.
