Barfly: Safety precautions change Oahu bar scene’s routine

Friday marks an important milestone for bars on Oahu, as all of them will finally be allowed to reopen after being shuttered by Gov. David Ige’s March 25 stay-home order.

But your favorite spot might already be open and available for you to visit — it all depends on the kind of liquor license the establishment holds.

The Honolulu Liquor Commission issues different licenses to restaurants versus bars, depending on the percentage of food sales in proportion to the overall business. Normally, that’s something few customers would pay attention to. But post-coronavirus quarantine, having that restaurant classification allowed a number of quality bartops to reopen before this weekend.

Bar seating is already an option at places like TJ’s Sports Bar & Grill on Kapiolani Boulevard and Pitch Sports Bar in Kakaako, as well as Chinatown standards Bar 35, Livestock Tavern, Murphy’s Bar & Grill, Lucky Belly and Encore Saloon.

On June 10, when I stopped by The Shack Kailua — the last place I visited before COVID-19 shut everything down — I found the doors open and drinks being poured … from behind a newly installed plexiglass partition. A surfboard isn’t just decoration as you walk inside; it also provides a physical barrier protecting guests seated at a table near the entrance.

It was obvious the staff had to remove indoor seating along with adding barriers, but I liked how the changes didn’t detract much from the overall experience, while helping make guests feel safer. Outdoor dining has been expanded into the parking lot to make up some of the space lost inside.

GIVEN THE lack of tourists in Kailua, I was also able to make my way over to Buzz’s Lanikai during pau hana, where employees outnumbered guests. I was the only customer seated at the bar the entire time I was there.

Sure, finding parking with no problem and having my own personal bartender was nice, compared with how things were pre-coronavirus, but how is that sustainable for a restaurant that relies on its dining room being packed with people?

That same afternoon at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, it was comfortably crowded at Duke’s Waikiki. What appeared to be a mostly local audience tried to respect social distancing rules as musician Ellsworth Simeona performed sans mask.

My visit here underscored one aspect of this new normal that I’m not too happy about: hustling your own drinks. It’s no longer standard at bars that a server will take your order, then bring your beverages. Often you’ll have to get up and walk to the bar to grab your next round, all in an effort to minimize contact with employees.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? At Encore Saloon, owner Danny Kaaialii has established a check-in system of sorts as a solution. Guests now stop at a host stand near the front door to buy their first round, before being seated with a number. The process allows for a tab to be opened instead of making it pay-as-you-go.

“We’re not giving up,” Kaaialii said last week, his nose and mouth shielded by a red bandanna. “We’ll keep doing what it takes to stay in business.”

MAKE NO mistake, public safety is important. No bar or restaurant wants to be known as the epicenter of another COVID-19 outbreak, and owners are taking the necessary steps, with guidance from local and federal authorities, to reopen in a manner that is safe for guests.

But many local people with seemingly stable jobs just a few months ago are now in an economic free fall, and the only thing softening the blow is that extra $600 of federal unemployment assistance that’s set to expire next month. Getting back to serving customers and earning regular income is vital for these workers.

So if you’re brave enough to venture out, stop by your favorite watering hole, if it’s open, and have a few. Still feeling a little uneasy about going into an enclosed space with a bunch of strangers getting intoxicated? Curbside to-go cocktails were a novel way to initially deal with the shutdown, and hopefully that option will remain available going forward.

And if you have a few extra bucks during these tough times, make a donation to the Kokua Restaurant Workers’ Fund, which is providing financial assistance to those who have lost their jobs. More than 2,500 people have applied so far, with about 500 beneficiaries getting their share of $133,500. Visit 808ne.ws/kokua fund to donate.

Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Instagram at @honolulupulse or email jason@staradvertiser.com.