In an effort to get to the root of why some businesses have decided to stay open for dine-in services despite the state’s current mandates, Breweries In PA reached out to learn more from those behind the scenes.

Recently, we published an email that was sent by the PA Department Of Agriculture to any business that is not complying with the statewide mandate, threatening to fine and close businesses that continue to offer indoor dining despite the recent state mandates.

We interviewed a few of these places and asked them to explain why they are staying open while many others have closed. Below you can see their reasoning.

Black Forest Brewery (Ephrata)

Eric Sears – Bar Manager/Brewer – Black Forest Brewery

“The decision to stay open for us was not an easy one. What weighed heavily on us was that the last time we were told we would go into a three week shutdown, it turned into over 100 days. We know for a fact that the Governor promised state legislation that he would not shut down before Christmas, but here we are. We did this to support our families and our staff. Like any other business, we have commitments that we need to meet, commitments that will not be fulfilled by the state government.

We understand that some people don’t feel safe coming out, and we respect that but we feel that we can still provide the same safe service that we have been providing throughout the rest of the previous mandates.”

The Proper Brewing Company (Quakertown)

Brian Wilson – Owner/Brewer – The Proper Brewing Company

“We considered everything and decided that we will continue to operate while following the CDC and state Covid guidelines that we have been implementing since inside dining resumed July. Cases were steady from July until October and started to rise in November while we continue at reduced capacity following all protocols. We feel our industry has been unfairly targeted with arbitrary government decisions. New York recently released data from 46,000 data points of their contact tracing and found that only 1.4% of cases were from restaurants and this is consistent with tracing data from other states across the country. If Governor Wolf and the PA Health Department has data showing something different, then they should supply it. We are responsible business owners, we follow all the Liquor and Health codes. We are RAMP and Safe Serv certified. We feel that the government should not be able to restrict anyone’s right to make a living if they do not have facts or data that the business is causing a public health issue.

We are not downplaying the virus, we understand how many people have been affected by it, despite all the mandates that we have been under. With us having a restaurant model, our overhead is high. Our savings were wiped out in March and we continue to hang by a thread, as I’m sure others are in the industry. We have 23 employees that we are responsible for and who depend on us. We have been battling since March to keep our staff working and bring back the staff we laid off so they can provide for their families. We cannot give up now and lay off 75% of our staff two weeks before Christmas. We feel we can continue to provide safe indoor dining for our customers who want to support us.”

St. Boniface Craft Brewing (Ephrata)

Dain Shirey – Co-Owner – St. Boniface

“We’re not looking for anyone’s kudos. We’re also not looking for anyone’s hate. We’re looking for people to understand the unbelievably difficult position we have been put in and through no fault of our own. This latest shut down of indoor dining is bringing us to the brink because take out business simply is not enough to sustain the company. We will continue to implement all the required COVID safety protocols. If guests are at high risk or uncomfortable coming into the taproom we are offering them options to order online for curbside pickup and limited delivery options as well. We are planning to reopen Tied House in Lititz on January 6, until then we will offer beer and food to go there.”

Seven Sirens Brewing (Bethlehem)

Jordan Serulneck – Director of Operations – Seven Sirens Brewing

“Our decision to stay open echos what hundreds of other business owners throughout the commonwealth have stated. Collectively, we closed down in March to flatten the curve, buy time, amass medical supplies, and prepare for the impending second wave. All local, state and federal aid has either been exhausted or misappropriated. We trusted the experts would come up with a plan, communicate it through all pertinent agencies, implement it universally, and continue to work together towards a clearly defined goal. With no end in sight and no resources available to sustain operations for thousands of small Pennsylvanian businesses, our backs are against the wall. We will continue to operate with the same, proven-safe measures that were recommended to us by the CDC and local health officials.”

Seven Sirens was recently interviewed on 12/17/20 on Fox News in regards to this subject. You can find their statement by watching the below video.