Nippers Beach Grille files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, plans future expansion

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The owner of Nippers Beach Grille wants to set the record straight about why his restaurant filed for bankruptcy.

Rudy Theale admits the restaurant hit a rough patch after last summer's deadly shooting during bike night, but the restaurant is not closing.

Theale opened Nippers in May 2011. He said he went into business with an investor from South Carolina and from the beginning the restaurant was under-funded.

"As that happened and more money went into it, I sort of lost ownership in the business and got down to about 11 percent and really wanted to get it back, so in November of 2013, I was able to basically buy him out," Theale said.

Theale said by doing that he acquired more debt, but business was booming.

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"We were up 20 percent which is hard to do in this business, we were rocking and I was here every day, and then the event at the end of June happened," Theale said.

More than a year ago on June 26 during Bike Night, there was a shooting outside Nippers, leaving one man dead and another beaten.

The State Attorney's Office said a group of people ambushed a man who had his concealed weapons permit and fired back.

Theale said he took on more after that shooting, and it snowballed from there. His attorney advised him to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying the debt was choking his business.

"It was a tough decision that I had to make but corporately and fiscally protecting the asset so it has room to grow, is what I had to do for the business," Theale said.

Theale said he will now have a shot at growing his brand, and hopes down the road that there will be an opportunity to expand to other locations.

"This business has weathered a couple of storms, and my dad always told me it gets rougher before it gets good, and this process is one of those things," Theale said.

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