WACO, Texas — For the past couple of weeks the state of Texas has slowly been opening and on Monday gyms will be allowed to open back up. But, bars are not allowed to open their doors and owners are not happy.
As of right now, establishments who obtain at least 51 percent of their revenue from the sale of alcohol cannot open their doors to patrons.
The Backyard along with Barnett's Public House are among that group.
"We tried to open up as just a restaurant, a very socially distant restaurant and we were told no," Joshua Hernandez the General Manager of Barnett's Pub said.
The Backyard in Waco has also been closed for almost two months now, and co-owner Chris Cox had his bar participate in yesterday's state wide soft-opening.
The event was organized by the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance (TBNA), which hoped to have bars show state leaders they can practice these safety guidelines once they are allowed to open back up. They were not open to the public and businesses did not sell drinks, but DJs and/or live music was encouraged.
"I don't want people to think this was a slap in the face to the government or the city of Waco," Cox said. "It was a way to get everyone back in the building, make sure all our stuff still worked and show that we are all in this together."
Both Barnett's and The Backyard said whenever Gov. Greg Abbott gives the green light for bars to open they are ready to go.
"We must all band together all of us bar owners," Cox said.
Currently there is no set date for when bars can re-open but Gov. Abbott is expected to address this topic in a press conference on Monday.
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