Secret Sandwich Society reopens in Richmond after being padlocked for unpaid taxes

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A restaurant in downtown Richmond reopened on Friday after it was padlocked by the state earlier in the week due to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unpaid taxes.

On Monday, Oct. 27, the owner of the Secret Sandwich Society brand, David Bailey, confirmed that the downtown Richmond location, located at 401 E. Grace Street, reopened as of Friday, Oct. 24, after originally being closed by the Virginia Department of Taxation due to unpaid taxes the week of Oct. 22.

"The Richmond location reopened and is still operating without a valid license to do so," Bailey said.

According to a sign posted on the front door, dated Monday, Oct. 20, Society Hospitality LLC is responsible for $119,419.14 in back taxes.

This comes amid litigation between the brand owners and location owners.

(Photo: Paul Nevadomski, 8News)

The location owners previously announced in a social post back in February 2025 that they had terminated the license for the Richmond Secret Society location and demanded that they stop operating as a branded result due to that license termination.

"We have no other comments at this time as the litigation is still pending," Bailey said.

With litigation still ongoing between the brand owners and location owners, the sandwich shop's reopening continues to be "unauthorized and conducted without a legal license," per the brand owners.