Imagine, just for a second, that it’s Oct. 4, the day when the Philadelphia Eagles will play the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, kicking off at 8:20 p.m. to the familiar play-by-play voice of Al Michaels. “Now, here’s a guy …,” raspy-toned sidekick Cris Collinsworth chimes in, referring to some player who caught his eye.
Maybe you’ve decided to venture out to a sports bar for the occasion, hoping Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will get a little more help from his supporting cast this season.
But as the second half kicks off, probably around 10 p.m., that sports bar won’t be able to serve you another beer, as part of an announcement Tuesday by Gov. Tom Wolf. While the move lets restaurants that self-certify coronavirus safety efforts operate at 50% indoor capacity, up from the current 25%, it also stops alcohol sales at 10 p.m. The measures go into effect Sept. 21.
Fran Volpe, owner of Volpe’s Sports Bar in Emmaus, said he was at a loss for words Wednesday, seeing Wolf’s announcement as “one step forward and two steps back.”
Volpe’s is typically open until 2 a.m., seeing enough business Friday and Saturday nights to justify staying open that late, even though they’ve had to close earlier during the week. Volpe said his bar hasn’t made money since February, and he was hoping for a boost in September as football gets underway and makes use of the establishment’s 22 TVs, filled with sports packages that cost thousands of dollars.
“September is usually when it starts to turn. For us, Sundays turn into another Friday,” Volpe said. “Just going along that line, Sunday night football, Monday night football, Thursday night football, those games start at 8:25 or so, so what does that mean now?
“You’re not even going to make it to halftime.”
Sports bars, such as Volpe’s, could be among the most affected by Wolf’s announcement. The establishments typically open later in the afternoon, catering to those looking to catch a late-night game or hungry for a meal and a drink as their shift ends. Restaurants also still are not allowed to use their bar seating, a tough blow considering alcohol sales can make up more than 60% of a tavern’s business and the bar is the highest-margin portion of the business.
“A lot of these places are mom-and-pop small businesses, and their business is their retirement package, and this situation is not helping them at all,” said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, which has more than 400 members.
The 10 p.m. alcohol sales curfew was explained indirectly Tuesday by Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, who noted the significant increases in virus cases among 19- to 24-year-olds. She pointed to the outbreaks at many Pennsylvania colleges — for instance, Penn State University’s host county, Centre County, reported an increase of 180 cases Wednesday — and said the state didn’t want students congregating in restaurants and bars.
Some criticized the explanation, claiming the state is using statewide mandates to try to eradicate localized issues. Lehigh Valley restaurant and bar owners told The Morning Call they realize there are establishments not following the rules, but they believe the state should target the bad actors rather than punishing those trying to adhere to the guidelines.
Some restaurant owners also remain confused about provisions within Wolf’s announcement. Allentown liquor law attorney Ted Zeller said he was getting calls Tuesday from clients wondering if they are bound to the 10 p.m. alcohol cutoff if they don’t opt for the self-certification.
The answer, according to the Department of Community and Economic Development, is yes.
“That is separate from the self-certification,” DCED spokesperson Casey Smith said. “All restaurants must stop serving alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m., starting Sept. 21.”
She did not have an estimate on how much the state plans to spend on the printing and shipping of branded materials, such as signage and window clings, to certified restaurants.
At Volpe’s Sports Bar in Allentown, owned by Fran Volpe’s father and managed by his brother, Mike Volpe, the restaurant opens at noon daily and has been staying open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Mike Volpe said the bar has been busy on the weekends from 10 p.m. to midnight, as people get off work or come in to watch a late-night playoff basketball game. Cutting the hours of alcohol sales back will hurt, especially since the restaurant still can’t use its bar.
“Our bar is the primary driver of the business, and people sit around at the bar and talk sports and just the whole social interaction is part of the experience,” he said. “It’s hard for people to get that now.”
The biggest wild card for restaurants is Mother Nature.
Many, such as the two Volpe’s locations, have adapted amid the pandemic by setting up socially distanced outdoor seating, but the weather won’t cooperate forever.
At The Clubhouse Grille at the Bethlehem Golf Club, a sports restaurant and bar, co-owner Brett Biggs said many patrons still feel more comfortable dining outside than sitting inside. He wonders what will happen when November rolls around, when it might be too cold to sit outside. If the restrictions are the same, at 50% indoor capacity, a 10 p.m. alcohol cutoff and no bar service, Biggs thinks many restaurant owners may opt for winter vacations if they don’t have a robust takeout business.
“My prediction, if we don’t see a drastic change in the restrictions, is that we’re going to see restaurants close their doors until spring, a lot of them,” he said.
While Biggs sees Wolf’s announcement Tuesday as an almost nonevent, he understands there are no great answers to keep the virus in check. And as someone who spent three months making hand sanitizer as the co-owner of Christmas City Spirits, he also doesn’t want to see those efforts wasted.
Without much nighttime business — the restriction requiring meals with any alcohol beverage soured that business, Biggs said — The Clubhouse Grille has been operating from noon to 8 p.m. daily, shortening hours that usually stretched until 11 p.m. or midnight under normal circumstances.
“Monday night football, I don’t think is going to be a big thing for us this year,” Biggs said. “That’s normally a big thing for us.”
Morning Call reporter Jon Harris can be reached at 610-820-6779 or at jon.harris@mcall.com.
