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Grand Trunk Pub (Photo: Hans Nyberg/Ten Mile Media)
A little more than a month ago, Metro Detroit restaurant and bar owners had some reason to feel good. But as December came to a close, the Omicron Covid variant began wreaking havoc. It hurt business and infected staff, forcing some places to temporarily close.
“This is pretty brutal,” Timothy Tharp, who owns Grand Trunk Pub and Checker Bar in downtown Detroit, tells WXYZ.
“The sales have dropped off so badly. In the last week, it’s been very, very difficult in terms of our sales as well as having a lot of people test positive.”
Tharp earlier spoke to Metro Times about the issue, for a story that finds some other restaurants refusing to close or follow CDC guidelines when staff get sick with Covid.
Grand Trunk Pub was closed Thursday and shut early on other days because business was slow and staffing was short, the station says. It also closed for two days between Christmas and New Years so staff could get tested.
“A lot of other industries are booming, and this is yet again where I think restaurants are going to take it in the teeth,” Tharp said. “It's going to be hard for a lot of restaurants to hang on through this.”
The Old Miami in the Cass Corridor reopened Sunday after a brief shutdown and posted: "Everyone's healthy and out of quarantine."
Mercury Burger Bar in Corktown recently was doing carryout only because of a staff shortage. The Anchor Bar on West Fort Street downtown announced Friday that it's closed for a while.
Still, some places are hopping. On Saturday night, for example, Supino Pizzeria on Woodward in the New Center area was doing a brisk business for carryout and indoor dining.
“You're going to see a lot of just pivoting and pivoting and pivoting from your local restaurant. Adjusting hours of operation, adjusting menus, just doing anything they can to stay open,” Tharp said.
Chartreuse in Midtown is one of the restaurants Metro Times reports did not close and immediately alert and test all staff after an employee contracted Covid.
The business posted Sunday afternoon: "Please support independent restaurants and bars if you want them to continue to exist. If you’re not comfortable going out, please consider ordering carry out. Most places that didn’t receive a restaurant relief grant are struggling more than you can imagine."
