Bars shut down due to non compliance with TABC rules has been rampant lately. TABC has set up a lot of new rules that bars have had to comply with. Restaurants and bars that have not, risk being shut down. Unfortunately, that has happened with quite a few places around the Texas area for various reasons. We talk about about why some of these establishments were shut down and what that means for their future.
Places that have received a suspension
As a result of the Corona virus, Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission recently created an undercover covid-19 operation. This has been put into place to see if bars and restaurants are in compliance with the new rules. Unfortunately, they found many that were not. Due to this new operation we have seen almost every major city in the state of Texas had closures due to non compliance. So far the list of bars citied as not following current TABC guidelines are:
-BARge 25 (Seabrook)
– Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden (Austin)
– Coconuts (El Paso)
– Elevate Night Club (McAllen)
– Handlebar Houston (Houston)
– Harris House of Heroes (Dallas)
– Little Woodrow’s (Lubbock)
– Marty’s Live (Dallas)
– The New PR’s (Fort Worth)
– UnBARlievable (West 6th) (Austin)
– Werk Bar, (El Paso)
– Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Icehouse (Austin)
All of the above bars are first time offenders with this new program. So what does that mean for them?
What does a non compliance suspension mean for these establishments futures and will bars shut down?
Firstly, as a result of the non compliance, all of the above bars received a mandatory 30 day suspension of their liquor license. Meaning, hey may still operate if they serve food but zero alcohol may be served. in conclusion, this can cause problems with an establishments cash flow for obvious reasons. For many of theses establishments that do not serve food, this means they will close down completely for an entire 30 days until the suspension is lifted. The second violation results in a 60-day suspension. If a bar receives a third they will risk losing their liquor license permanently.
Moreover, TABC has warned that they are taking this new undercover Operation Stay Safe extremely seriously. “Protecting the health and safety of Texans during this pandemic is our top priority,” TABC Executive Director Bentley Nettles said. “We warned businesses TABC will have no tolerance for breaking the rules, and now, some bars are paying the price. I hope other establishments will learn from these suspensions.” In other words, the TABC is taking things very seriously.
Operation Stay Safe Open
In conclusion, operations stay safe open is the name of the new undercover operation brought on by the TABC. They are there to enforce the rules brought on by the pandemic and see if rules are being followed. For instance, if a bar or restaurant is not maintaining social distancing. As well as, if they have over the allowed capacity. Consequently, if any of these occurs the establishment will be given a suspension and bars shut down. Currently bars are allowed to be at a max 50% capacity and restaurants at 75%.
The TABC has stated that “as bars reopen across the state, TABC agents and local health and safety officials will be checking to ensure businesses are complying with state guidelines to reduce the COVID-19 infection risk. Since June, TABC agents have conducted more than 17,000 inspections, finding that nearly 99% of businesses were in full compliance with the law.”
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