Owners of restaurants and bars in Calgary had to make the decision as to whether they would stay open to the public on St. Patrick’s Day during the pandemic.
Individual owners of restaurants and bars in Calgary had to make the decision as to whether they would stay open to the public on St. Patrick’s Day during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many bars have already announced that they will be voluntarily closing during what is one of the busiest days for the industry. City officials in Calgary announced a local state of emergency in the city on Sunday.
In Calgary, all restaurants and bars have to limit their capacity to 250 or to half their occupancy. Dr. Teresa Tam, Canada’s top health official, recommends that public gatherings stay at 50 people or less according to CTV News.
The provincial government is working alongside public health officials to determine whether the restaurants and bars should stay open to customers. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer noted that they are still discussing the subject and will be providing updates.
A restaurant/pub called Joyce on 4th is among the businesses that will remain open for St. Patrick’s Day, though the business said that they will be making sure that physical distancing is being exercised.
The following Calgary businesses will be closing their doors.
Ship & Anchor
The Ship & Anchor pub will be temporarily closing.
On Monday, the pub, located on 17th Avenue SW posted an announcement to social media.
“To this end we have decided to temporarily close the Ship. This is effective immediately, and will, at the very least, include us being closed tomorrow for St. Patrick’s Day.”
Concorde Entertainment Group
The Concorde Entertainment Group (CEG) in Calgary, closed 18 local venues. The company employs over 1,000 people.
A spokesperson for CEG said, “To make that kind of decision and the magnitude of that decision for all of our team members, we don’t take it lightly, but again it felt like it was the right thing to do. We thought it was our social responsibility to make the right call and close those venues.”
The CEG venue closures include: Anju, Bourbon Room, Bridgette Bar, Double Zero, Goro+Gun, Local 522, Lulu Bar, Model Milk, National, Pigeonhole, The Palace Theatre, Palomino, Ricardo’s Hideaway, Sky 360 and Wildhorse
Trolley 5 Brewpub
Not far away is Trolley 5 Brewpub, which temporarily closed on Monday.
“The health and safety of our team, guests and community are of the utmost importance to us,” said the venue in an online statement.
“We are looking into brewpub to doorstep delivery of food and local brews, and other ways that we can help support our community in this time of need.”
Cactus Club
Cactus club will also be closing across the country beginning on March 17, but will still accept takeout orders.
“Everything we are doing is with input from people throughout the organization. We are doing our best to balance whatever is right for our employees, our guests, and our communities.”
The Keg Steakhouse and Bar
The Keg Steakhouse and bar has closed across Canada. The organization has approximately 10,000 employees.
“We are sensitive to the implications of this decision to our staff and will continue to support them by providing resources to minimize their financial burden,” the organization said a statement.
Leopold’s Tavern
Leopold’s Tavern will be closing every location in the country according to an announcement made by the business on Monday.
Dickens Pub
The popular pub and music venue said that it will be closing in an announcement on social media.
“I'm doing this for my amazing parents who are in their 70s and the many other wonderful seniors in our community who should have lots of years ahead of them,” said owner Chris Hewitt.
“I'm doing this for the people out there with pre-existing conditions who will have some nervous times to come. I'm doing this for the health care workers in Alberta who are going to have a lot of hard work ahead of them and perhaps this will reduce the burden slightly. I’m doing this for our staff because I don’t want them to get sick and I want them to have jobs to come back to.”
“I’m doing this for all of our beloved customers because I can’t, in good conscience, provide a space that’s a virtual ticking time bomb like any gathering space is at the moment.”
Mikey’s on 12th
Mikey’s on 12th also made a public announcement that they will be temporarily closing down.
Garage Sports Bar
On Thursday, Garage Sports Bar decided to temporarily close after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
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Outcast Brewing
Outcast Brewing has started an online store and is also removing delivery fees.
An announcement was made by the federal government on Monday, that the border will close for non-Canadian citizens.