When Shamrock’s Pub and Grill in St. Peters caught on fire in 2014 after being open for only two years, it closed four months to rebuild and business losses were covered by an insurance policy but COVID-19 restrictions have been way worse, according to the owner.
“A fire is a freak accident while these limitations are out of our control,” Shamrock's Pub and Grill Owner Kyle Dent said. “We're being told we have to close. We’re being told that we're the highest risk industry in the county and in our state but there's not been any factual information to prove that.”
Since Nov. 24, an emergency order requires bars and restaurants in St. Charles County to close at 11 p.m. as a way to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to media reports. Prior to the emergence of the coronavirus, Shamrock’s closed at 1:30 a.m.
Shamrock's Pub & Grill
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“We're trying to find creative ways to ensure our employees still have a job,” Dent told the St. Louis Record. “My night shift employees work three hours less every single shift. I’ve lost about $25,000 in a month.”
Although his business interruption insurance policy doesn’t cover losses incurred during a pandemic, Dent hopes to recover the money through the justice system.
“I don't think it's right what they're doing because they don't have any factual information to show us that bars and restaurants are a big part of how COVID numbers grew in our county,” he said. “We want some honesty from St. Charles county government.”
Statewide, there are 388,856 reported coronavirus cases and 5,491 deaths, according to the Missouri COVID-19 dashboard.
“In St. Louis County, all restaurants and bars are closed across the board,” Dent said in an interview. “In St. Charles, places like Waffle House and Denny's can serve food 24 hours a day while we have to close at 11:00 pm because we serve alcohol and they don’t. If COVID-19 is a health risk, why is anybody allowed to do anything besides close at 11:00 pm?”
Shamrock’s Pub and Grill joined Tony’s on Main in a lawsuit against St. Charles and St. Charles County challenging the emergency order but the Telegraph reported that St. Charles County Circuit Judge Ted House denied their request for a temporary restraining order.
“I wanted to speak up on behalf of the whole industry,” Dent said. “It's not just Shamrocks and Tony's against the county. It's us leading the way and speaking on behalf of our whole industry.”
Dent plans to submit evidence at the next hearing on Jan. 8.
"From this point on, we will be working on interviewing the health director and county executive for St. Charles Steve Ehlmann," he said.