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5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
BREAKING NEWS
Watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom provides update on coronavirus response, May 26
NewsHealth • News
They’ve survived earthquakes and
Prohibition, but can Bay Area bars
survive coronavirus?
15
Even famous, long-standing joints may not survive
the pandemic
By LEONARDO CASTAÑEDA | lcastaneda@bayareanewsgroup.com and MARISA
KENDALL | mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 23, 2020 at 5:46 p.m. | UPDATED: May 25, 2020 at 9:31 p.m.
Click here if you are having trouble viewing the slideshow on a mobile device.
OAKLAND — Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon has only closed twice since
1884, once when the 1906 earthquake leveled much of the Bay Area, and in 1929
when then-owner Johnny Heinold had surgery.
The bar survived the 1918 u pandemic and Prohibition — they sold soft drinks
during that dark time — and has been serving Oaklanders through a couple of
world wars, the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party and two tech booms. But
the bar where Jack London used to do his high school homework might’ve nally
met its match: the coronavirus pandemic and a lockdown order that has brought
the bar’s revenues down to zero.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
1/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
Heinold’s is in better shape than other bars thanks to a robust reserve fund the
owners have been using to pay their ve bartenders and other assorted bills
during the lockdown. But how long will those savings last?
“I am refusing to answer that question in my own head, on grounds that it
would cause me to go insane,” co-owner Elliott Myles said. “I need to take it a
day at a time.”
As the region enters its 11th week under lockdown, bar owners are faced with a
daunting decision: do they keep going, feeding off savings and whatever they
can make on to-go orders, or do they call it quits and close up the treasured dive
bars, watering holes and music clubs that help fuel the Bay Area’s celebrated
nightlife.
“It’s going to lead to business and personal bankruptcies, we’re going to lose
beloved cultural institutions,” said Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco
Bar Owners Alliance. “I wouldn’t be surprised if 40, 50 percent of the bars in San
Francisco never reopened.”
It’s already started. Such well-known spots as Oakland’s Stork Club, the famed
Saddle Rack country bar in Fremont and The Stud, San Francisco’s oldest gay
bar, have all announced they will not reopen, although the Stork Club holds out
hope of eventually nding a new home. (Here’s a rundown of all the Bay Area
clubs and restaurants that won’t be reopening.)
Bleiman, who owns three bars in the city including Dr. Teeth and Soda Popinski,
said maybe one in 100 bars are doing okay business right now.
In an effort to provide some relief, the California Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control started allowed bars to sell closed bottles of beer or liquor to
go, though Myles noted his customers can get the same stuff cheaper at stores
like BevMo. Bars with kitchens can sell mixed drinks to go if the order is paired
with food, and on Friday the department expanded that and will now allow bars
without kitchens to sell cocktails if they partner with a restaurant.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
2/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- MAY 22: Elly Simmons, co-owner of Specs’ Twelve
Adler Museum bar in San Francisco, Calif., talks about the challenges of
reopening the historic drinking establishment in a post COVID-19 world,
on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
That’s what Elly Simmons is trying to do at Spec’s Twelve Adler Museum, the
bar her father started in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach 52 years ago.
So far, they’ve been able to sell some closed beers to go, as well as face masks
bearing the bar’s eponymous spectacles on them.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen, I have no idea how well it’s going to
go,” Simmons said. “People miss each other, and they want to support us.”
Simmons, who owns the bar with her daughter, also launched a GoFundMe drive
to help pay the bills. She’s been blown away by the support, but still runs into
regulars who just want to go back to the bar for a drink and some conversation.
“I wish my dad was here to hear them all. The place is very beloved,” she said.
“Many people, their parents met here — or they did.”
The closures have also been a blow to the local music and live entertainment
scene. The Caravan Lounge in downtown San Jose, for example, is unable to
host its punk and metal shows, as well as a long-running comedy night,
burlesque revue and performance art show called Circus of Sin and even a poetry
slam.
Ron Lucatelli, who owns the bar with his wife, Bev, said he’s worried about the
Caravan’s future and is frustrated by what he says is a lack of clear information
or guidance from government of cials. He doesn’t think the rules around selling
drinks with food will help him much.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
3/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
“Our menu consists of a bag of potato chips and peanuts, occasionally,” he said,
adding that he’s still paying $700 just in PG&E bills to keep the venue
refrigeration system going.
If it closes, it’ll be the end of an era — it’s been around since the 1960s and is
the only one left of a chain of 10 independently-owned Caravan Lounge bars
inside Greyhound bus stations throughout California.
“This is the craziest bunch of malarkey I’ve ever seen,” Lucatelli said “In
addition to the crisis itself, which is real, we need to be safe. But we also need to
live and make a living.”
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 22: Eli’s Mile High Club is photographed in
Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)
Even the places that have been selling to-go aren’t exactly thriving. Eli’s Mile
High Club, which has been a revered blues club, and mainstay Oakland bar since
the 1970s, is selling bottles of liquor, cases of beer, and beer, shot and meal
combos for pickup and delivery.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
4/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
The bar has let go of about 30 of its 40 pre-pandemic staffers, and is scraping in
enough money to stay a oat.
“I’m maybe 75 percent sure we’re good,” said co-owner Billy Agan.
But Agan’s biggest fear is the health of cials will allow bars to reopen for
regular service too early. If bars hire back their workers and stock up on alcohol
— a COVID-19 second wave could be devastating. Even if that doesn’t happen,
running a socially-distant bar will be challenging. Eli’s has a back patio where
customers can spread out, which will help. But the bar makes a lot of its money
from shows and events, and there’s no telling when those will be back..
For most bars, it’s hard to know what the future holds. Throughout the city, bars
are chained shut or boarded up in a way that would make that Anti-Saloon
League swoon. From touristy spots like Tommy’s Joynt on Van Ness Avenue,
covered in baby blue plywood, to padlocked Chinatown mainstays like Buddha
Lounge and Li Po, to the White Horse Tavern on Nob Hill, where the hobby
horse mascot hangs from the building front wearing a bandana face mask —
they’re all closed inde nitely.
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 22: Laura Chittock, the booking agent and manager
of the Stork Club, touches a wall of band stickers at the bar and music
venue in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 22, 2020. The bar, like all bars in
California, is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the Stork
Club is shutting down, hoping one day to reopen. (Doug Duran/Bay Area
News Group)
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
5/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
And for some, like Oakland’s famed Stork Club, the worst has already come.
Husband-and-wife managers Laura and Tom Chittock had to pack up and leave
their Telegraph Avenue home of more than 20 years earlier this week. With no
shows to host, the Chittocks couldn’t keep paying the $10,000 a month in rent
and other bills it cost to keep the rock venue going.
“We had to stop,” Laura Chittock said. “We had to make a very dif cult
decision.”
The Chittocks say they have every intention of reopening in a new location once
the pandemic is over. But it won’t be quite the same: The Stork Club rst
opened on Oakland’s 12th Street in the early 1900s, and the bar is covered oorto-ceiling with stickers left by bands who have played there.
“We can’t take that with us,” Laura Chittock said. “It’s all lost.”
Staff photographer Karl Mondon contributed to this report
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6/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
Leonardo Castañeda | Demographics reporter Leonardo Castañeda
is a reporter covering demographics and the income divide as part
of The Mercury News’ Living in the Bay Area team. He graduated
from San Diego State University with degrees in journalism and
economics, and previously reported in America’s Finest City. He
also speaks Spanish, holds strong opinions about burritos and can
be reached at 408-920-5012.
lcastaneda@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow Leonardo Castañeda @LeoMCastaneda
Marisa Kendall | Housing reporter Marisa Kendall covers
homelessness as part of the Bay Area News Group's housing team.
She previously covered litigation for The Recorder in San
Francisco, and started her career reporting on crime and breaking
news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida.
mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow Marisa Kendall @MarisaKendall
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
ALL ACCESS DIGITAL OFFER FOR JUST 99 CENTS!
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7/7
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
BREAKING NEWS
Watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom provides update on coronavirus response, May 26
NewsHealth • News
They’ve survived earthquakes and
Prohibition, but can Bay Area bars
survive coronavirus?
15
Even famous, long-standing joints may not survive
the pandemic
By LEONARDO CASTAÑEDA | lcastaneda@bayareanewsgroup.com and MARISA
KENDALL | mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 23, 2020 at 5:46 p.m. | UPDATED: May 25, 2020 at 9:31 p.m.
Click here if you are having trouble viewing the slideshow on a mobile device.
OAKLAND — Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon has only closed twice since
1884, once when the 1906 earthquake leveled much of the Bay Area, and in 1929
when then-owner Johnny Heinold had surgery.
The bar survived the 1918 u pandemic and Prohibition — they sold soft drinks
during that dark time — and has been serving Oaklanders through a couple of
world wars, the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party and two tech booms. But
the bar where Jack London used to do his high school homework might’ve nally
met its match: the coronavirus pandemic and a lockdown order that has brought
the bar’s revenues down to zero.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
1/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
Heinold’s is in better shape than other bars thanks to a robust reserve fund the
owners have been using to pay their ve bartenders and other assorted bills
during the lockdown. But how long will those savings last?
“I am refusing to answer that question in my own head, on grounds that it
would cause me to go insane,” co-owner Elliott Myles said. “I need to take it a
day at a time.”
As the region enters its 11th week under lockdown, bar owners are faced with a
daunting decision: do they keep going, feeding off savings and whatever they
can make on to-go orders, or do they call it quits and close up the treasured dive
bars, watering holes and music clubs that help fuel the Bay Area’s celebrated
nightlife.
“It’s going to lead to business and personal bankruptcies, we’re going to lose
beloved cultural institutions,” said Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco
Bar Owners Alliance. “I wouldn’t be surprised if 40, 50 percent of the bars in San
Francisco never reopened.”
It’s already started. Such well-known spots as Oakland’s Stork Club, the famed
Saddle Rack country bar in Fremont and The Stud, San Francisco’s oldest gay
bar, have all announced they will not reopen, although the Stork Club holds out
hope of eventually nding a new home. (Here’s a rundown of all the Bay Area
clubs and restaurants that won’t be reopening.)
Bleiman, who owns three bars in the city including Dr. Teeth and Soda Popinski,
said maybe one in 100 bars are doing okay business right now.
In an effort to provide some relief, the California Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control started allowed bars to sell closed bottles of beer or liquor to
go, though Myles noted his customers can get the same stuff cheaper at stores
like BevMo. Bars with kitchens can sell mixed drinks to go if the order is paired
with food, and on Friday the department expanded that and will now allow bars
without kitchens to sell cocktails if they partner with a restaurant.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
2/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- MAY 22: Elly Simmons, co-owner of Specs’ Twelve
Adler Museum bar in San Francisco, Calif., talks about the challenges of
reopening the historic drinking establishment in a post COVID-19 world,
on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
That’s what Elly Simmons is trying to do at Spec’s Twelve Adler Museum, the
bar her father started in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach 52 years ago.
So far, they’ve been able to sell some closed beers to go, as well as face masks
bearing the bar’s eponymous spectacles on them.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen, I have no idea how well it’s going to
go,” Simmons said. “People miss each other, and they want to support us.”
Simmons, who owns the bar with her daughter, also launched a GoFundMe drive
to help pay the bills. She’s been blown away by the support, but still runs into
regulars who just want to go back to the bar for a drink and some conversation.
“I wish my dad was here to hear them all. The place is very beloved,” she said.
“Many people, their parents met here — or they did.”
The closures have also been a blow to the local music and live entertainment
scene. The Caravan Lounge in downtown San Jose, for example, is unable to
host its punk and metal shows, as well as a long-running comedy night,
burlesque revue and performance art show called Circus of Sin and even a poetry
slam.
Ron Lucatelli, who owns the bar with his wife, Bev, said he’s worried about the
Caravan’s future and is frustrated by what he says is a lack of clear information
or guidance from government of cials. He doesn’t think the rules around selling
drinks with food will help him much.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
3/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
“Our menu consists of a bag of potato chips and peanuts, occasionally,” he said,
adding that he’s still paying $700 just in PG&E bills to keep the venue
refrigeration system going.
If it closes, it’ll be the end of an era — it’s been around since the 1960s and is
the only one left of a chain of 10 independently-owned Caravan Lounge bars
inside Greyhound bus stations throughout California.
“This is the craziest bunch of malarkey I’ve ever seen,” Lucatelli said “In
addition to the crisis itself, which is real, we need to be safe. But we also need to
live and make a living.”
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 22: Eli’s Mile High Club is photographed in
Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)
Even the places that have been selling to-go aren’t exactly thriving. Eli’s Mile
High Club, which has been a revered blues club, and mainstay Oakland bar since
the 1970s, is selling bottles of liquor, cases of beer, and beer, shot and meal
combos for pickup and delivery.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
4/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
The bar has let go of about 30 of its 40 pre-pandemic staffers, and is scraping in
enough money to stay a oat.
“I’m maybe 75 percent sure we’re good,” said co-owner Billy Agan.
But Agan’s biggest fear is the health of cials will allow bars to reopen for
regular service too early. If bars hire back their workers and stock up on alcohol
— a COVID-19 second wave could be devastating. Even if that doesn’t happen,
running a socially-distant bar will be challenging. Eli’s has a back patio where
customers can spread out, which will help. But the bar makes a lot of its money
from shows and events, and there’s no telling when those will be back..
For most bars, it’s hard to know what the future holds. Throughout the city, bars
are chained shut or boarded up in a way that would make that Anti-Saloon
League swoon. From touristy spots like Tommy’s Joynt on Van Ness Avenue,
covered in baby blue plywood, to padlocked Chinatown mainstays like Buddha
Lounge and Li Po, to the White Horse Tavern on Nob Hill, where the hobby
horse mascot hangs from the building front wearing a bandana face mask —
they’re all closed inde nitely.
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 22: Laura Chittock, the booking agent and manager
of the Stork Club, touches a wall of band stickers at the bar and music
venue in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 22, 2020. The bar, like all bars in
California, is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the Stork
Club is shutting down, hoping one day to reopen. (Doug Duran/Bay Area
News Group)
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
5/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
And for some, like Oakland’s famed Stork Club, the worst has already come.
Husband-and-wife managers Laura and Tom Chittock had to pack up and leave
their Telegraph Avenue home of more than 20 years earlier this week. With no
shows to host, the Chittocks couldn’t keep paying the $10,000 a month in rent
and other bills it cost to keep the rock venue going.
“We had to stop,” Laura Chittock said. “We had to make a very dif cult
decision.”
The Chittocks say they have every intention of reopening in a new location once
the pandemic is over. But it won’t be quite the same: The Stork Club rst
opened on Oakland’s 12th Street in the early 1900s, and the bar is covered oorto-ceiling with stickers left by bands who have played there.
“We can’t take that with us,” Laura Chittock said. “It’s all lost.”
Staff photographer Karl Mondon contributed to this report
Report an error
Policies and Standards
Contact Us
Stay up to date on the latest Coronavirus coverage in your area.
Sign up for the Coronavirus Update
newsletter
Enter your email
SIGN UP
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Harry And Meghan Have
Changed William And
Kate’s Relationship
By
Tags: Coronavirus, Coronavirus Closures, Nightlife, PM Report, Regional
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
6/7
5/26/2020
Can Bay Area bars survive the coronavirus lockdown?
Leonardo Castañeda | Demographics reporter Leonardo Castañeda
is a reporter covering demographics and the income divide as part
of The Mercury News’ Living in the Bay Area team. He graduated
from San Diego State University with degrees in journalism and
economics, and previously reported in America’s Finest City. He
also speaks Spanish, holds strong opinions about burritos and can
be reached at 408-920-5012.
lcastaneda@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow Leonardo Castañeda @LeoMCastaneda
Marisa Kendall | Housing reporter Marisa Kendall covers
homelessness as part of the Bay Area News Group's housing team.
She previously covered litigation for The Recorder in San
Francisco, and started her career reporting on crime and breaking
news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida.
mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow Marisa Kendall @MarisaKendall
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
ALL ACCESS DIGITAL OFFER FOR JUST 99 CENTS!
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/23/theyve-survived-earthquakes-and-prohibition-but-can-bay-area-bars-survive-coronavirus/
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Accrual Method (Dublin Core)
4959