Popular Kitsilano sports bar feeling COVID protocol crunch
The flags still fly atop The Regal Beagle.
The Canadian colours are flanked by Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles standards to signal that, despite an NFL season pummelled by postponements amid a plethora of positive coronavirus cases, there are games to be watched at the popular Kitsilano sports and music bar.
However, not in the normal manner.
There's no elbow-to-elbow cheering, jeering or guzzling at the bar. No overzealous patrons zigzagging from table to table at the West Broadway establishment like Kansas City Chiefs pivot Patrick Mahomes sprinting out of the pocket.
No, the new normal is far from the old normal for the Regal Beagle, established in 1997.
The challenges to stay in business under COVID-19 operating restrictions and maintaining a loyal clientele are considerable. Monday Night Football used to be a sure bet to attract a large crowd. Now, it's who's coming in the door and how can we keep them coming back?
It's a head-scratcher and a heartache.
“We're just plugging away here and doing the best we can,” Regal Beagle general manager Dayle Gibson said Monday. “Definitely challenging times to remain positive and keep my staff healthy mentally. I've been cutting shifts for everyone and we have slowed right down — the numbers are low. It's tough.
“A loss of a lot of sports was really hard. We had a bit of a crowd for the hockey playoffs, and football Sunday is still a good day. But no way does it compare to the way it used to be.”
When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered nightclubs to close in a bid to stop the virus spread. She followed up the same month by ordering restaurants and bars to stop dine-in service.
“We closed March, April and May, and opened June 1 with full, in-house seating,” Gibson said. “Right away, we saw numbers that were comparable to last year at the same time, all the way through until the end of August.
“We had some good months, and then in September, it really dipped. I think people in general are just trying to stay home.”
The sobering spike in provincial COVID-19 cases is hurting restaurants and bars. On Monday, B.C. health officials reported 2,020 new cases from Friday to Monday — while extending current restrictions through to Jan. 8.
The Regal Beagle has adhered to all mandates regarding safe social distancing, but being forced to halt alcohol sales at 10 p.m., as opposed to midnight and longer on weekends, hurts the bottom line. It's a Catch-22. Like any bar, sales climb in the late hours, but customers also become more talkative and adventurous and are more likely to break health protocols.
“That (10 p.m.) edict definitely hurt,” said Gibson. “We do a lot of business between 10 and midnight and 2 a.m. on the weekends. But that's also when people tend to be a bit unruly, and with a couple of drinks, that's when they forget the rules and walk around to tables. At least they want to, but we don't let them."