AUSTIN, Texas — The definition of "bars" in Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order has some bar owners calling for Abbott to change the definition of bars in the executive order.
"We've got a full kitchen menu, table seating only; we had a host and door guy standing at the door directing people," said Spotlight Karaoke Bar and Grill owner Ryan Speegle.
Speegle said his bar is set up like a restaurant and has a full kitchen, but under Abbott's order, he was forced to shut his doors because 51% of his revenue comes from alcohol sales.
"It's not just as easy as saying, 'You know what? I'm going to increase the price of my food and not sell alcohol, and all of a sudden I'm a restaurant,' because TABC does not look at that; they look at that 51% licensing."
He said closing down wasn't easy. He had to get rid of hundreds of dollars worth food and spent thousands to make sure his business followed COVID-19 safety protocols.
"At least 1,500 restaurants have been caught up unfairly because of this definition," explained Kelsey Erickson Streufert with Texas Restaurant Association.
Streufert said the closures left 35,000 Texans without a job. The association sent a proposal asking Gov Abbott to define a restaurant by these guidelines:
- Require a permanent kitchen with a fire suppression system
- All guests have to be served at tables and chairs
- The kitchen has to be open all the hours the business is open
The governor's order allows bars to sell to-go alcohol and food, but Speegle said that isn't enough.
"We can never compete with a liquor store, grocery store or convenience store model," explained Speegle. "The PPP loans are gone and I can no longer pay my staff to come in here and work eight to 10 hours during the night to drive and do to-goes."
He added, "They've made it not worth opening whatsoever, to be honest."
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) said for a bar to be recognized as a restaurant they have to show their most recent sales report. After that, it will decide if a bar can operate as a restaurant. The commission said it should only take a few days to switch over the paperwork.
TABC also said it is trying to determine how far back to look at the sales report to determine if the business can operate as a restaurant.
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