The Encore
Night club · Midtown ·
Fashionable nightclub with baroque decor, outdoor lounge, and pool
Fashionable nightclub with baroque decor, outdoor lounge, and pool
"Notorious locally for repeatedly flouting COVID-19 rules in 2020 by operating as a “reception hall” to sidestep social-distancing and capacity limits, this nightclub has accumulated multiple TABC penalties over the past 16 months — including a 60-day suspension that began in January — and is run by an operator whose venues have faced repeated enforcement. Over the weekend it was thrust back into the headlines after a late-night, single-shooter incident left two people dead and two wounded (one in critical condition), prompting the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to impose a seven-day liquor-license suspension while investigators and Houston police probe the case; the club may be allowed to resume operations after that period pending the results of the investigation." - Amy McCarthy
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cle Group made headlines on multiple occasions for allegedly flouting safety guidelines implemented by state officials. On the first weekend that bars in Houston were allowed to reopen in May 2020, a huge pool party packed into the space at Cle, with videos posted to social media showing large crowds of maskless people congregating in the club’s pool, appearing to violate capacity limits that were implemented in an effort to stem the spread of the virus." - Amy McCarthy
"I've seen Cle repeatedly make headlines during the pandemic for flouting basic COVID-19 safety guidelines; over a recent weekend it hosted rappers Bow Wow and Meek Mill despite a tweet from Houston mayor Sylvester Turner urging the club to reschedule, and viral video from inside showed a huge, mostly maskless, not socially distanced crowd. Bow Wow initially defended his presence—saying he was hosting rather than organizing, that he wore masks at times, and that he tested negative twice—then later apologized and said he was at Cle to celebrate a birthday and that he understands the time we're living in. The venue has been able to operate under a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission loophole that reclassifies it as a “reception hall” instead of a nightclub, and its owners insist they are following rules such as keeping capacity to the 50% permitted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, but city officials (including Turner, who noted Houston had reported 2,000 new COVID-19 infections the day before the show) have called Cle a “community spreader” and urged the TABC to crack down and rescind some reclassifications." - Amy McCarthy
"Back in May, Cle hosted a Memorial Day pool party that went viral on social media, when screenshots of a massive pool party at the bar went viral on Instagram. This was when Abbott reopened bars just before Memorial Day, initially allowing them to operate at 25 percent capacity." - Amy McCarthy
"Shortly after bars were allowed to reopen on May 26, a Houston pool bar drew packed crowds and video of the gathering went viral on Twitter, exemplifying how some venues have blatantly flouted reduced-capacity rules and prompting local officials to set up a reporting form for noncompliant businesses." - Amy McCarthy
