HOUSTON – Craft Cellar Beer, a bar in downtown Houston, is back fully in business. Owner Steve Labac said he is able to operate as a restaurant after an emergency amendment from the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission.
“It’s been a real tough time with the not being able to do on-premise sales and having everything to go,” he said.
The last six months have been filled with major twists and turns for bar owners.
In mid-March, bars were ordered to close, then allowed to re-open at 25% capacity in May. On June 3, Gov. Greg Abbott increased the capacity to 50%.
But three weeks later, on June 26, the governor ordered all bars to re-close.
“When we got hit with that order it just was the part of the roller coaster where it just drops down,” said Labac.
The emergency amendment allows bars to re-open if they have the ability to use pre-packaged food or food trucks to bump their food revenue to 51%.
Labac said it was easier to do since they already had a food truck operating out of their kitchen.
“They come out. We sell their grill cheeses and fries,” said Labac. “We pair them up with some great beers.”
It’s working out for Labac who knows dozens of other Houston bar owners who weren’t able to stay afloat.
“I’m glad that we’re still standing, and I’m glad that we can provide jobs for people, and still keep going,” Labac said. “But I’m really, really sad to see a lot of these guys go.”
Labac said he believes bars were unfairly targeted and blamed for the spread of COVID-19 when they were forced to shut down in June. He said he doesn’t know how many in the industry would be able to survive in the face of another shutdown.