WSJ: For Many Bars, Christmas Could Be Last Call

[Peace Piper]

For Many Bars, Christmas Could Be Last Call

The U.S. bar industry, slammed by the pandemic, feels the pain of the holiday without the merry

Wall Street Journal Dec. 24, 2020

The bar industry is in crisis.

Flagged early on as risky for the spread of Covid-19, some bars managed to survive because either they were permitted some indoor seating or they got by on outdoor seating.

Now, bars that remain open are relying on the critical holiday season to produce enough revenue to keep the doors open. But cold weather, plus a patchwork of restrictions, are making that effort nearly impossible for many of them.

Typically, at this time of year Joe Robinson would be handing out a drink called the “Fa la la la la la la la la” in a light-up sweatshirt at his island-themed bar in Detroit, The Skip.

“It’s literally insane,” he said. “People wait outside in the freezing Detroit cold for over an hour to get into this bar.”

This year, though, the same bar is barely scraping by, serving bottled cocktails with a swizzle stick, garnish and umbrella that fans can order online.

The bar industry is a fraction of the size of the restaurant industry but has endured a greater percentage of closings, according to business review website Yelp and research firm Datassential.





Many bars that don’t serve food have been completely restricted from seating customers; some have shut down or kept a trickle of revenue from to-go cocktails.

“Bars have fewer levers to pull than restaurants do,” Mark Brandau, an analyst at Datassential, said.

The bar industry, which generated sales of $19.9 billion in 2019, according to the trade group American Nightlife Association, is nearly one month into its most critical season and it isn’t going well. Bars typically fill up seven days a week with holiday happy hours and workplace gatherings, generating double to three times their usual revenue, according to the United States Bartenders’ Guild, a nonprofit organization that represents bartenders.

Now as major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago revert to some form of lockdown, would-be revelers are finding it easier and more affordable to drink at home.

In the U.S., online sales of alcohol have surged, according to the IWSR, a data firm that analyzes the alcohol market. U.S. e-commerce alcohol sales are expected to reach $5.6 billion in 2020, according to IWSR, up from about $3 billion last year, with 44% of alcohol e-shoppers saying they first began buying alcohol online in 2020.

“This is the worst crisis to hit the industry since Prohibition,” said Aaron Gregory Smith, United States Bartenders’ Guild executive director.

Some bars that remain open in more locked-down areas are using strategically placed Christmas trees for social distancing, 6-feet spacing on sidewalks and capacity restrictions.

Meanwhile, in less-restrictive states, some bars are allowed to operate at 100% capacity indoors, yet many still experience revenue hits from social-distancing requirements that patrons stay seated and avoid crowding at the bar.

Florida, for instance, has left most restrictions to bar owners’ discretion. Jarrett Sabatini, who owns Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails in St. Petersburg, said he expects to break even this year with the holiday boost. Never before has geographic location, in terms of weather and local restrictions, played such an important role in each bar’s economic fate, bar owners said.

In New York City, Greg Boehm owns two popular Christmas-themed pop-up bar franchises––Miracle and Sippin’ Santa––which typically are hosted by more than 100 independent bars around the country each year. He said budgets and planning have been a problem this year for his operators; some have closed for good, others temporarily.

“This year was a waiting game,” he said, “with locations figuring out if they can open, how they can open, if there can be propane heaters or no propane heaters. Some are big, some are small, some are on a rooftop, some are in a basement.”

For major cities, the devastation in the bar industry is hurting local government budgets already squeezed by the impact of Covid-19. The average cost to acquire a liquor license in the U.S. is $4,500, according to the American Nightlife Association, money that goes straight to local coffers. As bars shut their doors, fewer dollars are expected to flow in from liquor licenses... MORE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-man...ll-11608805800



Ron Paul Forum to loser bar owners: "Put some ice on it"

[Anti Federalist]

They should have fought back against the MADD maniacs and anti smoking NAZIs when they had the chance.

[GlennwaldSnowdenAssanged]

In my opinion, Bars have been in a downward spiral for many years. It has become prohibitive to purchase liquor, beer, wine at a bar. In the 80's people made respectable wages and there were bars all over. Happy Hour and free appetizers, 2 for 1, pool tables and the cost of a drink had a negligible effect on a wage. I imagine Drunk Driving has also put a strain on drinking out. Even dance night clubs closed up years ago around here.

[enhanced_deficit]

To be fair, Trump near the end of his term had started to distance himself from Dr Fauci despite having stood with him for many months and attacking state leaders who wanted to open businesses.

Trump knee-capped Georgia Governor Kemp for not following CDC lockdown guidelines

Niles Edward Francis
@NilesGApol· 3h
Police cars revolving light
#BREAKING: President Trump says that he told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that he disagrees "strongly" with his decision to open up certain businesses at the end of this week. #gapol #Coronavirus

I think will make all other rep governors think long and hard about opening up

[phill4paul]

Just open the $#@! up and tell theme to pound sand.

[Cowlesy]

We get what we deserve in NYC. No one should be surprised at the city’s idiocy given the idiocy required to vote for Andrew Cuomo and Bill DeBlasio.

[kpitcher]

Not to discount COVID closures which is obviously horrid to their businesses, studies show an increase in alcohol consumption over the past few decades. I see more wine and specialty alcohol sales all over the place, taking more retail footprint than ever before. Has there been a growth in home drinking? Has the death of retail due to easy delivery started to extend to bars also, with covid hurrying this along?

[Matt4Liberty]

They should have fought back against the MADD maniacs and anti smoking NAZIs when they had the chance.

Just open the $#@! up and tell theme to pound sand.

This. The Detroit bar is in Michigan. The state Supreme Court deemed the self proclaimed ruler's proclamations unconstitutional. There is no shut down order in Michigan contrary to what the media and the Pure Moron say. Open up and flip her the bird.

[Anti Globalist]

They should just open up their bars regardless of what the state says and if they tell you to shut down tell them to go $#@! themselves.

[parocks]

They should have fought back against the MADD maniacs and anti smoking NAZIs when they had the chance.

Agreed. But. Often, the lobbying groups are dominated by chains, and those chains would actually prefer no smoking and fewer competitors.

Things were a lot better when I was 21.

[parocks]

We get what we deserve in NYC. No one should be surprised at the city’s idiocy given the idiocy required to vote for Andrew Cuomo and Bill DeBlasio.

Voting? Can't we just assume these elections were rigged in favor of the Democrats?

We're watching stolen elections this year, and there's plenty of evidence. Earlier, maybe not as much evidence.

I'd recommend to stop blaming voters, when it's criminals at the top doing the stealing.

Lie, cheat, steal. It's what works.

[Brian4Liberty]

They should just open up their bars regardless of what the state says and if they tell you to shut down tell them to go $#@! themselves.

It’s prohibition all over again. Many bars are open like speakeasies.