CREATIVE APPROACH COULD OUTLAST COVID
Copper Hop adds permanent outdoor seating area during pandemic
A St. Clair Shores-based craft brewer has found a way to be sure its serving ice-cold beer.
Like other restaurants, bars and breweries, Copper Hop Brewing Company has been forced to take its business outdoors to comply with state shutdown orders relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That means even during these chilly late fall and early-winter days the alternative is to close its doors with no revenue coming in.
“This is something we never would have thought of doing if the coronavirus had never hit,” owner Ryan Balicki. “Now we’ll have it for the next 20 years.”
On Monday evening, the St. Clair Shores City Council is expected to give site plan approval for a permanent outdoor seating area that will be there for good.
The brewery has closed off a section of its parking lot to create the space for tables and chairs.
The side patio coincides with an existing patio that seats about 20 people alongside the large windows at the front of the Greater Mack entrance, near Nine Mile Road.
To create the 1,800-squarefoot seating area, Balicki approached the owners of the nearby Ace Hardware store to secure a lease for the land. Then he closed the driveway into a parking lot, sending motorists to another entry point.
He added seats and tables, concrete roadblocks to serve as wall, with a wooden fence, planters and string lights to dress it up a bit. The side patio seats about 55 with social distancing protocols and around 75 without.
“It’s all weather dependent, obviously,” Balicki said. “If it’s in the low 40s or high 30s, we get a good amount of people out here. On a good day, we’ll get slammed out there, but on snowy or rainy days, most people will use the front patio because it’s covered.”
He found there is a segment of clientele who don’t mind the chilly environment.
Keith Feldman was among those braving the elements to enjoy a cold — really cold — adult beverage.
“No, I don’t mind it,” he said. “It’s like being at a tailgate party. You just have to dress appropriately. It could be a whole lot worse out here, this isn’t that bad.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Nov. 18 ordered a three-week pause which banned indoor dining and other events and group gatherings. The pause is scheduled to expire Tuesday, but industry leaders expect it will be extended through the holidays.
During a COVID-19 update last Thursday, Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer said an extension may be “sadly possible” because of the exponential rise in coronavirus numbers in Michigan and across the country.
This is the second shutdown ordered by the state health department after the pandemic resulted in a closure this past spring.
Bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen in June for dine-in service with a reduced 50% capacity.
To keep operating, restaurant owners have been forced to get creative. Some have opted for large openaired outdoor tents to serve in while others chose socalled igloos or enclosed, heated eateries that allow
for outdoor dining.
Copper Hop considered the igloos but decided against them because of the cost $1,500-$2,000 per unit.
“When this is over, and it will be at some point, in our opinion, we can’t see using them then,” Balicki said of the igloos. “You can’t even find them, they’re so hard to find because so many places are trying them out.”
For now, Balicki plans to add infrared heaters and a pergola to give the outdoor patios year-round use.
He must be doing something right. Copper Hop was recently named by the St. Clair Shores Beautification “Best Covid Patio Design.”
Robert Hison, a member of the city’s Planning Commission, said the outdoor addition will make a “great addition” the city’s downtown area and draw more people to the brewery.
Balicki also is concerned about the welfare of the employees.
While the part-time crew mostly held jobs for extra cash, the handful of fulltimers are employed to feed a family. The part-time staff has been laid off, while Copper Hop hopes to keep the full-time staff.
“This is a tips-based business and we’re going to make sure they are getting paid above and beyond what they were making with their tips for now,” he said.