Social: Future of downtown bar — and Downtown Pizza — is in limbo

The glass door to Social, the urban gay bar at 1118 McGee, was locked 30 minutes ago. It might open again tonight — then again, it might be closed for an extended period of time. Possibly, forever. There’s a problem — a matter of back rent owed by the club’s owner, Mike Flinn, to the building’s owners. Rumors flew over the internet earlier today that two other local bars were interested in the space.

“It could be open tonight,” says one of the pizzeria’s employees. “We’re waiting to hear from Mike.”

The restaurant’s future puts Andy Skeen, owner of the 18-month-old Downtown Pizza, which Skeen had operated out of Social’s kitchen, in limbo.

“I don’t know if I’m still in business here, what I should be telling my employees, whether I should be looking for a new location for my business,” says Skeen, looking very frustrated. “I only found out about this two hours ago.”

“The lawyers upstairs [on the second floor of the building] haven’t asked me to leave,” says Skeen, who says he’ll be making pizzas tonight. “My business is about delivery, not dining inside the building. I’ll be delivering pizza until 4 a.m.”

Skeen says he had just spoken with Flinn, who did not return calls to The Pitch, and was told that “everything will be taken care of. Social will not be closing.”

Skeen would like to stay in the historic Louis Curtiss building: “I’ve just purchased a second pizza oven so that I can make as many as 120 pies an hour. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this place.”