BROCKPORT, N.Y.– One year since NY state shutdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Brockport bars are starting to bounce back from the financial deficit they faced.
Just like any college town Brockport has a fair share of college bars. Some of the few being Masons on Clinton, Red Jug Pub, Stoneyard Brewing Co., Roosters, and Barbers. Even though these bars have many regulations to follow their doors are still open to customers, a promising site to see.
Since summer, these bars/restaurants have reopened, but with a lower number of college students on campus, limited capacity and curfews, these bars have faced challenges that have led to a creativity in bringing more customers in. Social media has had an impact in this, specifically Instagram. Mason’s Pub & Pizzeria has made it a routine to post daily on their Instagram to keep customers in the know of deals and show some familiar faces at their tables.
Josie Wood one of many bartenders at Masons on Clinton has been a member of the staff since November. “Even with capacity limits we have not struggled to fill all available seats in the bar on the weekends. Some nights we have to turn customers away because we fill up so fast,” Wood stated.
Masons Pub and Pizzeria has been open since 2019 but reopened in November following the COVID-19 shutdown.
In this article by CNY Central, these bars still face an 11pm curfew each night, while in recent decisions by New York state gyms, casinos and bowling alleys have had this curfew lifted starting April 5th, 2021. As of now bars continue on with capacity and curfew rules, rules they have been given but will be re-evaluated in late April.
In response to gyms, casinos and bowling alleys having their curfews lifted, Masons Pub and Pizzeria bartender James Walsh stated, “It felt like more of a health concern than anything else in the beginning, but now that we have been given just one more hour and casinos, bowling alleys, etc have had their curfew lifted it seems like there is more to it than health and safety.”
“Whether it is about our health and safety or if these decisions are a political game, the most important thing is keeping our customers happy and our doors open,” stated bartender Josie Wood.
As the summer approaches COVID-19 bar and restaurant regulations are being updated monthly. Many bars in the Brockport area are preparing for a busy summer season along the Erie Canal.
