Mt. Washington Tavern Reopens Its Doors After Closure Due To Baltimore City COVID-19 Restrictions
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Mt. Washington Tavern reopened its doors Wednesday, welcoming customers back after nearly two months of a complete shutdown.
"We're excited," David Lichty, Co-Owner of Mt. Washington Tavern, said. "Everybody's happy to be here and ready to go."
The tavern has been closed since just after New Year's due to Baltimore City dining restrictions.
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The owners said they could not stay open on just carryout and delivery, so they made the tough choice to close until restrictions on indoor dining were lifted.
"It was just not worth it," Lichty said. "Just not sustainable with just carryout."
He said nothing beats indoor dining. Now, nearly two months later with the hour-long time limit lifted,
the community staple of over 40 years is back in business and ready to serve its customers.
"It was just time to go," Lichty said. "We need to become relevant again and let people see that Mt. Washington Tavern is still here and ready to go."
"I'm hoping that now that the weather is getting nice that we can get back outside we can get back into our flow," Shannon Maddox, Bartender and Manager at Mt. Washington Tavern, said.
Although indoor dining capacity still remains at 25% in Baltimore City, a return to something that even looks somewhat normal has restaurant employees and diners feeling good.
"This is strange for a bar atmosphere, but I really missed the social ability that goes on here at the tavern," Tom Merryman, a customer, said.
With the doors finally back open, the owners are encouraged by falling coronavirus numbers and hope it won't be long before capacity limits are eased.
"We'll get by and we'll crank this thing back up and we'll be good to go," Lichty said.
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