EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Tier 1 mitigations are set to take effect in Illinois' Region 2 on Wednesday, November 4. Among the new requirements, it says area bars and restaurants can no longer serve food or beverages indoors.
For some local businesses, adhering to these rules isn't an option, and they plan on staying open, despite Governor Pritzker's executive order.
Ryan Stoner and his wife bought Drunken Barrels Pub in East Moline, back in August. He said buying in the middle of a pandemic may sound crazy, but he knew the owners, and was able to get it for cheap. Since then, he's put over $50,000 into the business.
"When we took it over they had already opened everything back up, so we thought it was okay that it was not going to be shut down again," he said.
According to Stoner, business had been going better than he expected, over the past few months. They were hosting weekly events; clientele was building; and everyone had been wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
But with the new mitigations on the horizon, he said all of that could be lost.
"I don't know... with this new shutdown coming up, it's not gonna be good," he remarked. "We'll probably have to shut the doors back down."
For Drunken Barrels, and many area businesses, putting up outdoor seating isn't as simple as it might sound. Their bar doesn't serve food, which is a huge pull for outdoor dining. And as winter approaches, any seating he would build, would have to contend with the elements.
"Who would want to sit outside in the freezing cold?" he asked.
Effectively, the higher restrictions would cause him to close the doors of Drunken Barrels. And that, he says, could close the bar... permanently.
"It depends on how long it takes," he said. "If [the mitigations] take more than a month, we'll probably have to shut the doors. It'd be terrible. It'd suck. It'd be our live savings down the drain."
It's a problem many bars in the Quad Cities, and across Illinois, are facing.
"It's just time and money that we don't have," Stoner remarked. "Even some of the bigger bars, that have been established for years and years, are talking that if they have to shut down again, they won't be able to open back up. It's not good. It's very scary for us."
To him, shutting down the bars also opens the door to a new, potentially more unchecked form of virus-spread.
"Honestly if we shut down, then people are gonna have house parties and there’s no restrictions at those," he said. "I think it’s gonna get worse if we shut down. At least here we have restrictions - we do implement the social distancing guidelines."
Stoner said that the city of East Moline told him they would work with him to find a solution, but so far, there hasn't been any communication. To him, the lack of clarification and answers, throughout this process, has been particularly frustrating.
So when Wednesday rolls around, and the region's new mandates take hold, Stoner says the Drunken Barrel won't be complying. The way he is interpreting it, after talking with other bars and some lawyers, is that the executive order isn't technically a law, so it can't be enforced as such.
"In my opinion, I don't have a choice," said Stoner. "If we close for a month, I'm out of business. If I stay open and they take my liquor license away like they're talking, I'm out of business. So in my opinion, I just have to stay open."
A few minutes away, at The Railhouse Pub in Silvis, Illinois, co-owner Mary Riley is going through the same thing.
When the first round of shutdowns took place in March and April, Riley says the Railhouse had to shut down. Since then, they've been navigating re-opening, safety precautions, employee layoffs, and difficulty finding new bartenders.
And now, Riley says another shutdown just isn't an option.
"It's not just about me," she said. "It's about everybody. The entire community, and how as bar owners and restaurant owners, we're able to survive. I know people that could lose their homes. They could lose everything they've invested, everything they've worked for years to achieve."
One of the particularly frustrating things, to both Riley and Stoner, is the targeting of the restaurant industry. They said they've been following all the guidelines and safety protocols, just like everyone else. To them, it's unfair that stores such as Walmart get to remain open, when local businesses are the ones being cracked down on.
"We're all having a really hard time seeing why we are the target of this," said Riley. "And if there are bars and restaurants that are having a hard time complying, or, you know, causing this, target those individually. Don't take it out on the entire industry."
It is worth noting that Governor Pritzker has said at multiple press conferences that data shows bars and restaurants are one of the main spreaders of the virus. In response, Riley said she wants to see the exact numbers and specific science that says so.
"I just flew to Texas a few months ago and we were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the plane," she said. "If it’s good enough for that, why can’t I restrict every other seat, require masks for people who aren’t eating and drinking, and have my employees follow social distancing protocols? Why does it have to be any different here?"
On Monday night Riley hosted a gathering of local business owners, to discuss how they can move forward, and stay open, together. There's strength in numbers, she said, and it would help to have group clarity on what's legal and what's allowed.
"I don’t want this to be something that’s an attack," she pointed out. "It’s really more of a voice. How do we get our voice out there? How do we do it in a respectful manner of everyone? I know everyone has strong opinions on it, I know 50% of the people out there won’t agree with me, but I can only do what I think is right. And I feel that this is what’s right for my business. And I think there’s quite a few business owners that feel the same way."
She said many area bars and restaurants are feeling the same pains as she is. Originally, she wanted to start a GoFundMe to take legal action against the governor, but she instead decided to host the community meeting and see what other owners and associations had to say.
Moving forward, she wants the conversation to continue and grow into something even more impactful. Media engagements, discussions with local mayors, and inviting legislators and health officials in to speak are just a few of the ideas she has.
But above all, she wants a unified group of Quad Cities restaruant owners to know their rights, and be able to stay open, if they so choose.
"We're all gonna make our own decisions, ultimately, but I want it to be an educated decision and I want to understand, fully, if I'm taking any risk, what risk am I taking," said Riley.
For Stoner, keeping Drunken Barrels open, as long as he can, will happen no matter what. But having a group of similarly-minded owners following suit also helps get the word out to Quad Cities patrons that they are still encouraged to stop by and support the bar.
"Hopefully every owner in the Quad Cities area is on the same page and we just stay open," he said. "And we keep practicing the social distancing and doing what we've been doing. And we just all do it together."
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Tier 2 mitigations were beginning on Wednesday. The story has been corrected to say Tier 1.