Blue Moose Tavern in Farmington Hills is a restaurant where locals grab a drink, play a game of pool and watch a sports game. General Manager Bob Hendrix said the pandemic impacted his business “greatly.”
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down indoor dining for the second time in mid-November, allowing restaurants to reopen on Feb.1 with restrictions. Although restaurants are now open, Hendrix said traffic during the Super Bowl was very slow.
“Most people stayed at home.I had very few people here for the Super Bowl.”
Scores Sports Bar & Grill in Farmington Hills is dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 as well. Owner Mark who did not wish to give his last name said sales have been impacted more than 50%. In terms of last year’s Super Bowl, Mark said they were down 75%, which is quite a dip.
“We weren’t allowed to have anyone in the bar for months, which affected us to the point where we were doing zero business,” said Mark.
A short clip of Mark’s interview:
Another big difference is the bar was being forced to close early. “Hours changed, we had to close at 10 o’clock,” said Hendrix. “That had a big effect and is why people didn’t come out here.”
Staying safe with safety guidelines
Although businesses are allowed to be open without restrictions, Hendrix is staying diligent when it comes to following guidelines to keep his employees and customers safe.
“Social distance of course, making sure everyone is wearing their mask, we sanitize often and even put dividers up at the bar to make people safe and feel safe,” said Hendrix.
Scores Sports Bar & Grill is happy to be back open and making sure that guests are keeping a safe distance from one another as well since business has begun to pick back up for them.
“People are flocking out and getting out of the house,” said Mark.