WEST CARROLLTON — As the Browns and Bengals kicked off for Thursday night Football, any fans heading to sports bars had to keep in mind that alcohol sales would wrap up at 10 p.m., well before the game ended.
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It’s because of a state order in place for a month and a half, which Gov. Mike DeWine said in July, is aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. The order requires alcohol sales end by 10 p.m., with drinks finished by 11 p.m.
DeWine said the hope is to avoid bars crowded with patrons who, perhaps, would be less likely to follow social distancing guidelines.
But it’s an order that has taken a toll on some Miami Valley businesses.
“It’s really cut a lot of our pay down. A lot of our money down,” said Stephanie Hellman-Morabek, manager and bartender at Miami Valley Sports Bar in West Carrollton.
Numbers released from the Ohio Restaurant Association show the 10 p.m. cut off has impacted less than half of Ohio restaurants and bars, but has had a significant impact on a select number of businesses: 14 percent, in a recent survey, reported it has led to a drop off of 75 percent of sales of greater after 10pm.
Hellman-Morabek pointed out how, for instance, it could impact sales when a popular Thursday Night Football game like the Bengals-Browns is on TV.
“People want to come up they want to have a beer while they watch the game and they can’t. Well, they can, until 11. They can buy until 10. And after that they can drink the Coke I guess,” she said. “But they’re not going to want to do that.”
Cox Media Group
