Bar owners, employees concerned about lost revenue

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon along with State Health Officer Alexia Harrist updated public health orders on December 9 to require bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. instead of being able to stay open until 2 a.m. There are also limits on groups of patrons seated together and gatherings without required social distancing.

Bar owners around the state and in Thermopolis are very concerned about the lost revenue they will face and some are questioning the legality of the health orders. 

The health orders are not set to expire until January 8, 2021 so they include New Year’s Eve, one of their busiest days of the year.

Shorty’s Bar and Liquor Store owner Deb Lackey was not directly available to comment but her manager Melissa Elliot spoke on her behalf.

“We’re kind of upset because the 10 p.m. closing has put an issue on our revenue because from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. we have nothing and it’s dropped our sales. And being we’re only allowed to have ten people in the building is another issue and we don’t agree with it,” said Elliot

She added, “We question if the mandate is legal?”

The closure also has further consequences for the bar’s employees, such as in regard to tips. Elliot said, “It affects our tips very highly and that’s what the bartenders pretty much live off.”

Additionally, Elliot said, “New Year’s Eve, now that’s going to hurt us a lot because we usually have a New Year’s Eve party and we can’t now because we cannot have enough people in here to have a party.”

She went on to again raise a question, “We question who is going to police businesses to close by 10 p.m. and have 10 people or less in the building?”

Elliot continued about the health orders regarding whether it’s legal.

She said they have observed others regarding the orders and said, “We’ve gone around town and noticed several other businesses are not requiring face coverings, yet we make our customers have one on to come in the door. We don’t even let them in if they don’t have a face mask on and we take temperatures. We think we are the only bar/restaurant that is taking temperatures. We don’t have to, but we’re doing it because we’re cautious and being safe.”

Mac’s Bar owner David Potter also spoke about his concerns.

Potter said, “There is no science or reason that backs closing before 2 a.m. It’s not like after 10 p.m. things get to where the virus spreads easier and for someone like me in my bar I have the before 10 p.m. crowd and then I have the after 10 p.m. crowd. So this would cut out half of my people that come to this bar. I won’t get the revenue and they won’t come because usually they come in from around 9 to 10 p.m. and stay until 2 a.m. We have the early crowd and then the late crowd.”

As for tips of the employees, Potter stated, “It definitely affects them. Honestly, later in the evening they make the majority of their tips. From 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. they earn the majority of their tips. It hurts them and their finances.” 

In regards to New Year’s Eve, Potter said, “That’s going to be a huge hit. A lot of bars make a lot during that time.”

As for the government putting the order in place, Potter said, “I understand they are trying to protect people. I understand since I am a former paramedic, that’s what I did before I bought the bar.

“But, you also got to look at the other side of it. To me, this is like a shotgun approach. ‘We’ll do this and see if it works,’ instead of going and talking to the bars and seeing how it works to understand that there are actually two crowds. What could happen now, but there’s no past 10 p.m., is all the people might come at one time. People will be overcrowding versus spreading out.”

In reporting this story the Independent Record reached out to other bar owners as well but they were not available for comments.