Café Nubia faces criticism after including a food or drink minimum during a pop-up performance with R&B singer Tank that had been advertised as free.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
A Dallas restaurant is on the hot seat after including a $50 food or drink minimum in a pop-up piano session with R&B singer Tank that had been advertised as free, sparking backlash on social media.
Café Nubia management said in a statement on Instagram that “with several hundred guests expected,” it implemented the minimum as an “operational measure to help manage the extraordinary volume” during the Saturday event. But the restaurant dropped the requirement “immediately” after learning Tank did not support the decision.
About 50 of the roughly 300 guests who attended were affected by the requirement while it was in place, the restaurant said, which was for 36 minutes. The restaurant said there was no admission fee to see the performance.
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“There was no signed agreement specifically outlining food and beverage minimums, VIP seating or other restaurant operating terms for the event,” the statement said. “It is common practice for Café Nubia to require minimum purchase for large parties or events.”
Tank’s set was ultimately canceled after the restaurant’s sound system had technical difficulties, according to social media posts from guests. According to an Instagram post, the artist performed the next day at Stone Water Restaurant & Entertainment in northwest Dallas.
“Unfortunately, this is not how I work,” Tank said during the event at Café Nubia, according to a TikTok video. “When I say something, it is what it is, that’s what it’s supposed to be. I don’t in no way, shape or form take your time or any of that for granted.”
The incident caused an outpour of comments and videos on social media criticizing the restaurant’s $50 food-or-drink minimum for Tank’s performance.
The Dallas Morning News could not immediately reach Café Nubia by phone on Monday for comment, and Tank’s PR team did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
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Café Nubia’s apology
Guests who paid the $50 fee but did not use or receive the full value of their purchase during the event were reimbursed, the restaurant said in its statement.
Café Nubia’s management also apologized for the incident.
“We recognize that the initial process created confusion, particularly because the event had been publicly promoted as free,” the statement said. “We understand why guests arriving with that expectation would have questions when presented with a minimum food-and-beverage purchase. And for that we are sorry.”
The restaurant acknowledged the frustration of guests who waited, some for hours, for an experience that did not take place.
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As a gesture of goodwill, the statement said, Café Nubia is inviting those guests back to the restaurant on Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a free brunch.
“We hear our community. We have learned from this experience, and we will do better,” the statement said. “Going forward, expectations regarding admission, food and beverage requirements, VIP experiences and other operational details will be clearly established in a formal agreement between all parties and communicated in advance.”
Owned by Nigerian-born Kenechi “KC” Nnamani, Café Nubia is an upscale Afro-fusion and Mediterranean restaurant and lounge in Far North Dallas that offers brunch, dinner, handcrafted cocktails and live entertainment. It opened in 2024.
Café Nubia is at 3920 Rosemeade Parkway, Dallas. cafenubiadfw.com.