A report from WXII 12 news found that North Carolina governor's executive order to close bars only impacted 15% of the establishments. | Pixabay
A report from WXII 12 news found that North Carolina governor's executive order to close bars only impacted 15% of the establishments. | Pixabay
State Rep. Lisa Stone Barnes (R-Franklin) is pointing out the tale of two bars in North Carolina in a report published by a local news program.
The WXII 12 news examined Gov. Roy Cooper's executive orders that have kept some bars closed while others continue to operate.
"This article tackles the governor’s plan that forces some businesses to close while allowing others to remain open," Barnes said in her Facebook post on July 15.
One, Vintage Sofa Bar in downtown Winston-Salem, has reopened under Cooper’s Phase 2 COVID-19 executive order. The second, Taylor’s Tavern, is still closed.
The two bars had the same private bar permit, but Taylor’s Tavern didn’t serve food before the pandemic and so can’t reopen, WXII 12 reported on July 15. After a court turned down a request to allow the bar to reopen, Taylor’s is shutting down.
"The bills just keep coming, so I had to make a decision at some point to be able to sleep at night," owner AaronTaylor told WXII 12. “The business bank account is zero. My personal savings is [sic] drained, all the business credit cards are maxed out."
The governor’s executive order closing bars defines them as " ... places that are not eating establishments or restaurants ... principally engaged in the business of selling alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption," WXII 12 reported.
The North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association estimated that the order closed approximately 15% of bars in the state, those that did not serve food before the pandemic, WXII 12 reported.
"In my opinion, essentially what we've done is taking 100% of the customers and cramming them into 85% of the facilities," Taylor told WXII 12.
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