HOLLAND, Ohio — Bars and restaurants can once again serve customers until 2 a.m., but not everyone is keen on switching back.
Wesley Frazier owns Bunker Bar on South Eber Road in Holland. He admits the last year has been the toughest his business has seen, but he has no plans to stray from the earlier closing time in the near future.
"I'm not changing my hours until this [pandemic] goes away," Frazier said. "Maybe eventually, but I'm liking the hours right now. My employees are home at a decent hour. Nothing good happens after midnight. I'm loving it and we're blessed to be open."
Gov. Mike DeWine lifted the statewide curfew Feb. 11 that forced all establishments to close at 11 p.m. From Nov. 19 through January, bars and restaurants had to close by 10 p.m.
The curfew was lifted after Ohio experienced fewer than 2,500 COVID hospitalizations for seven consecutive days. If numbers spike, the curfew could go back in place.
Frazier said his revenue is 60 percent food and 40 percent alcohol, making it a little easier to make money without staying open late.
"I like being able to take my kids to school in the morning," he said. "Come to work, then go home and hang out, come back to work, then get home by 8 o'clock and eyes shut by 9:30. What a concept."
For many establishments wanting to stay open until the early morning hours again, flipping the switch might not be so easy.
Ohio Restaurant Association President John Barker said one of the biggest challenges is finding enough employees. He said 2.5 million people in the restaurant industry were furloughed, and many moved on in their careers.
He said some establishments could follow Frazier's lead, partially out of necessity.
"If you have 50 people working in a normal restaurant, they were able to do takeout-only with five people," Barker said. "Getting them back and restarted will take some time. Some people shifted and decided to work for Amazon or a distribution company. So we're going to have to bring people back into the industry."
Other changes establishments will have to make include updating websites, changing signage on doors, and refreshing menus.
Barker said last week was the most positive the industry has seen in months. The ORA tracks many data sets, and Baker said people are starting to come back to indoor dining.
And most people are doing so safely. The Ohio Investigative Unit reports 95 percent mask use in mandated areas of restaurants.
Taking the proper precautions is important to Frazier.
"It's something we have to do," he said. "People from Michigan come down and still don't want to wear their masks, and I'm like, 'We're open at least. Help us out.'"