The day after chef and co-owner Tony Nguyen pleaded not guilty to three counts of domestic assault and an additional count of unlawful use of a weapon, his Tower Grove South restaurant Snō did not open for dinner Thursday.
Snō has made no announcement on social media or its website about the charges against Nguyen or about any changes to its operations. A phone call to the restaurant Thursday afternoon went to voicemail.
The restaurant’s regular hours are 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Earlier on Thursday afternoon, a few reservations were still available for this evening via the website Tock.
Tony Nguyen faces three counts of domestic assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
At 5 p.m. Thursday, shades covered the restaurant’s first-floor windows and its front door was locked. A few minutes after 5 p.m., a reporter observed a man and woman try the locked door, wait briefly and then walk away.
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Shortly before 5:30 p.m., a different man and woman tried the locked door. They told a reporter they were unaware of the charges against Nguyen until a few minutes earlier, when a passerby walking his dog had informed them.
They said they had made their reservation a month ago, and the woman had confirmed the reservation by text on Wednesday.
“We were excited,” she said.
Nguyen has been charged with second-degree and third-degree domestic assault, both felonies, and fourth-degree domestic assault, a misdemeanor. The additional charge of unlawful use of a weapon is a felony. The alleged incident occured Monday (Sep. 19) on the 3900 block of Humphrey Street in Tower Grove South.
At Nguyen’s initial court appearance on Wednesday, St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Joseph P. Whyte ordered him to be released on $50,000 bond. Whyte further ordered Ngyuen to be under house arrest at his parents’ St. Peters residence with 24-7 GPS monitoring. Nugyen can have no contact with the victim.
According to court records, Nguyen on Wednesday paid the $5000 cash toward the $50,000 bond that was required for his release. Nguyen’s next court date is Nov. 7. (A Sep. 28 detention hearing on the docket is now moot because he posted bond.)
