Fort Worth bar owners skeptical of how coronavirus restrictions will work when reopening
Bar owners across Fort Worth started to plan re-opening operations Monday afternoon after Gov. Greg Abbott announced bars can open Friday at limited capacity.
Bars across Texas can open their doors to in-person customers at 25% capacity, Abbott said Monday, and restaurants may increase their capacity to 50%.
Poag Mahones’ staff met Monday afternoon to discuss how they would make the restrictions work, co-owner Glenn Keely said. While the bar expected limited capacity and social distancing criteria, staff were surprised by the state’s order that bars cannot serve customers at the bar counter.
“The big caveat was we can’t serve people out of our bar tops,” Keely said. “You’re talking about trying to change in four days how bars have ran since the dawn of time.”
Still, Keely said the bar will figure out how to make the new rules work at Poag Mahones on Carroll Street and Thomson’s downtown. Staff are eager to get back to work, although Keely is worried about the amount of money the bars will be able to make operating at only 25%.
He also was frustrated that restaurants can serve customers at bar tops, but bars cannot.
“What makes us a little perplexed is when you talk about the spread of a disease of this nature and mitigating the spread, why is it OK for one sector of our business to operate in that fashion, but we’re not allowed to?” he said.
Fort Worth Chef Jon Bonnell, who has been a spokesman for the city’s independent restaurants, said any additional capacity will improve a restaurant’s bottom line, but he wasn’t sure increasing to 50% would matter much if social distancing is kept at 6 feet. Many restaurants spaced tables out to meet the 6-foot requirement and barely reached 25% capacity, he said.
“I think the good news is we’re all in the mood to move forward,” he said. “We want to open as much as possible, but we also want to be as safe as we can.”
Bonnell opened Buffalo Bros locations to quarter capacity earlier this month because the menu has remained unchanged. But he scrapped fine dining at Waters Restaurant and Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine in favor of large family meals.
Managers of the restaurants will meet tomorrow to discuss what to do going forward, but Bonnell said it was unlikely either restaurant would return to regular menus any time soon. Waters, in Sundance Square, has been open for cocktails on the patio, but the kitchen has been closed. Bonnell said it may reopen for limited menu items, but he wasn’t sure when.
The large family meals are likely here to stay, he said.
“Some people are still nervous and not ready to come out,” he said. “I get that. We want to serve people in whatever capacity makes them feel comfortable.”
Steve Steward, a bartender at Boiled Owl Tavern and part-owner of Tarantula Tiki Lounge, said Magnolia Avenue bar owners met in a video call Sunday to discuss the possibility of opening this weekend. The group hashed out precautions, including possibly installing plexiglass protectors around the bars and requiring bartenders to wear face masks.
The measures are designed to make people feel safe, but Steward said he was skeptical. Once people start drinking, they’re less likely to adhere to social distancing and other protocols.
“I just think it’ll be near impossible to foster any real safety,” he said.
At the Boiled Owl, 25% capacity would be roughly 20 people, he estimated. Discussions also included the need for an employee to monitor for social distancing, a step that could require extra staff, adding to the bar’s overhead cost and lowering how many customers can come in.
In order for bars to open safely, the general public has to do their part to follow guidelines, Keely said. In general, he said he does not think the reopening will “work out the way (officials) plan” and if the public disregards rules and regulations, “the finger will be pointed” at bar owners.
“It’s gonna be interesting,” he said. “And on Memorial Day weekend no less.”
