KID ROCK'S RESTAURANT CLOSED DUE TO ICE RAIDS

Kid Rock's downtown Nashville bar Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse was one of several establishments owned by conservative restaurateur Steve Smith that shut early on May 10th, 2025, to allegedly avoid rumoured ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids.

Nashville Scene recently reported that restaurant employees at The Diner, Honky Tonk Central and Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse without legal citizenship status were told by managers to leave the premises during a Saturday dinner rush in order to avoid detention by ICE agents.

“We were already understaffed because of the ICE raids throughout the weekend,” an employee, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation, (told) the Scene. "Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home. Events at the Ryman, Ascend, the Savannah Bananas’ baseball game all let out, and it was crazy busy. But there was no one in the kitchen to cook the food.”

"Clearly I do not have anything to do with day to day operations at my Honky Tonk," Rock posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Kid Rock (Photo credit: Michael Reynolds), and Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse (Photo credit: Bill Dickinson)