Jaberwoke is beginning to overhaul its image, in part by implementing a revised dress code, co-owner Anderson McClure said.
"A dress code will be reinstated in the next couple of weeks," McClure said.
Last month the co-owner of the Corner restaurant and bar came under fire when he instituted a dress code that was perceived by some as discriminating against black patrons.
In an interview yesterday, McClure said the dress code was not racially motivated.
"My intentions were never to offend anyone, but I had to base this dress code on six years of experience in the Charlottesville restaurant community," he said.
In response to the public outcry against the dress code McClure held a well-attended open forum for concerned members of the public. As a result, McClure revoked that dress code and invited students to form a committee and submit recommendations so the new dress code would be agreeable to all parties.
According to student organizer Gregory Jackson, a meeting of students was held March 28, and many different ideas were discussed.
After the student meeting, Jackson met with numerous student organizations to gauge their feelings about the dress code but said he has had limited success organizing the efforts.
"It has been tough organizing a large concerned community with different interests and opinions," Jackson said.
Jackson said he has not been able to meet with McClure yet to discuss his collection of student opinions.
"I hope to meet with him sometime this coming week," Jackson said.
According to McClure, no students ever contacted him again to discuss revising the code. McClure added that it is now time to press on with his plans for the restaurant.
"I think it was an amazing opportunity that has been lost," McClure said.
McClure said, however, that he would still be interested in talking to students about what they would like to see from his restaurants.
"I'm always open to ideas and discussion, but this whole experience has been disappointing," McClure said. "I always like hearing people's thoughts."
The new dress code has not been finalized but will include some of the old provisions as well as several new ones, including forbidding the wearing of sunglasses inside the premises, so patrons can be easily identified in case of trouble, McClure said.
The dress code is part of a larger goal to "improve the quality" of the restaurant that includes redesigning the menu, the interior and the exterior of the building, he said.
"The place is going to look and feel much nicer," McClure said.
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