In Idaho’s reopening plans, bars are last. Some owners feel slighted and push back
As bar owners watch the closure days add up, with the end seemingly still far away, at least one Nampa bar will reopen May 1, while others in Boise and the Treasure Valley stay closed and frustrated.
Bars and nightclubs just entered the sixth week of mandated closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, and owners are struggling with how they’ll move forward.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s plan involving the state’s phases of reopening sets bars and nightclubs in “stage 4” — the final stage, meaning the target date is not until June 13-June 26.
The governor’s latest stay-home order is set to end Thursday, April 30. After that, depending on further direction from Little’s office, the decision to comply with Little’s timeline might come down to the owners. Thus far, businesses that have opened in defiance of closure orders have not been cited or faced repercussions.
In Nampa, Dave Olsen, the owner of Firehouse Sports Pub, said he will reopen his bar Friday, May 1. He plans to follow strict sanitation guidelines, including having his staff wear masks, spacing out chairs and allowing a smaller number of people in at once. The pub normally has eight pool tables open, but Olsen plans to put caution tape on four of them, to allow bar patrons to maintain 6-foot spacing.
Olsen said he’s contacted the governor’s office multiple times and received no response. He will take any precaution he can, but as a bar owner of 14 years, he says doesn’t feel like he’s doing anything wrong.
“We care about our community, we want our community safe and our customers safe,” Olsen told the Statesman on Monday.
Olsen employs four people, whom he had to lay off, and he said only one of them was able to secure an unemployment check so far.
“It scares me, but I’m going to do what I need to do,” Olsen said.
Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling has publicly said that the city will not cite businesses that decide to open ahead of schedule.
The city of Boise has not said whether it will cite businesses that open before the designated stages.
“Our focus is on education and also not overloading the courts and the jail,” said Karen Boe, spokeswoman for the city of Boise, on Monday. “Right now, we’re working with businesses. We are encouraging everyone to follow the governor’s plan.”
An online petition to open bars before June has been signed by more than 9,000 people.
Bar owners upset about layoffs, delayed reopening
Olsen said he’s frustrated about the employees who haven’t received financial support, even though bars were some of the first businesses forced to close.
“How does that employee feed their children?” he said. “How do they feed themselves?”
Meanwhile, state-run liquor stores are still open, Olsen noted. They were deemed to be an “essential” business.
“Why are we not being treated like human beings?” Olsen said. “Why are we being blackballed?”
He said that after talking to state and Nampa police, Olsen decided that reopening with extra precautions was his only option.
On April 24, Nampa Mayor Kling issued a statement saying: “While we will continue to provide education and informational resources, for those businesses that choose to open sooner than recommended, we will not be issuing any criminal citations. Rather, businesses that choose to open but subsequently disregard the health guidelines provided for their ongoing operation will become the focus of our enforcement.”
Ryan Steinbroner owns the Fireside Inn in Boise and the Frontier Club in Meridian. Collectively, he’s had to lay off about 25 people.
Steinbroner told the Statesman that he does not plan to reopen his bars ahead of the governor’s guidelines, but he is frustrated that restaurants may reopen in stage 2 of Little’s plan, with a target date of May 16-May 29.
Steinbroner noted that some restaurants are smaller and more confined than bars. The Frontier Club, for instance, has a 3,000-square-foot patio, something that many restaurants don’t have. The Fireside Inn also has a large patio, though not that big.
“I’m not looking at this just from my standpoint,” Steinbroner said. “Some businesses might be better set up than others to open.”
He said the of lack of clarity in the state policy leaves too many questions unanswered, and some businesses will reopen before they hit the designated stage.
“You’re encouraging people to break the law,” Steinbroner said about the policy.
More questions than answers on governor’s plans
When asked about how the state will enforce the stages, Little’s press secretary, Marissa Morrison Hyer, said that as Idaho enters each stage, an order will be issued to reflect new protocols.
“It will be recommended that those that are most vulnerable stay home if they can during stages one and two,” Morrison Hyer wrote in an email Tuesday. “Law enforcement is encouraged to educate the public about each stage of the order; each stage will be carefully reviewed before implementation to assess enforceability.”
Steinbroner said he wrote a letter to the governor’s office and has spoken with the governor’s staff about his concerns.
Kevin Settles, the owner of Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery, is on the governor’s Economic Rebound Advisory Committee. He’s the only restaurant or bar owner on it, which has made him a little bit of a target, too.
Steinbroner said he’s frustrated that Settles’ businesses will open before his because they are defined as restaurants. He argues that Bardenay is being used as the state’s “litmus test.”
Settles told the Statesman on Monday that although he is on the committee, he has never been asked by any member of the governor’s staff which industry should open first. He said he plays no role in deciding which businesses should take precedence, and noted that Little’s recommendations largely align with the federal government’s recommendations.
“It is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” Settles said about allegations made by bar owners that he influenced the decision for restaurants to be in stage 2 while bars are in stage 4.
Settles said his role on the committee is listening to presentations from state officials and collaborating with other business leaders about “what it will take for employees coming back to work.”
Bardenay restaurants are still offering take-out food to customers, but the dining rooms are closed, pursuant to the state order.
“We are not going to open up if the staff’s not comfortable,” Settles said. “It’s about safety from staff’s standpoint and safety from the customers’ standpoints.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 1:17 PM.
