AKRON, Ohio — An Akron bar got their liquor license revoked during the pandemic for not following Covid regulations, Tuesday, three years later, they were told they would not get it back.
Highland Tavern was one of the first to suffer the consequences of violating, “Rule 80” which was put in place by Governor Mike DeWine to reduce the hours liquor could be sold in bars during the height of the pandemic.
The bar received multiple violations for not following the governor’s 10 p.m. curfew, instead, they ran business as usual. The tavern's liquor license was revoked in October 2020 by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission soon forcing them to close.
Tuesday, they were unsuccessful in recovering that permit from the state's supreme court. Attorney Warner Mendenhall, who's representing the tavern, believes this shouldn't have been a problem to begin with, and they don’t regret their actions.
“This bar should never have been shut down. It had a license to be up until 2 a.m. in the morning. The governor wanted them all shut down at 10 p.m., and that is just illegal for liquor control to do that,” said Mendenhall.
Highland Tavern was located in Highland Square with other bars like Barmacy and The Matinee Bar. Other bar owners in the area understood why the tavern had to close its doors.
“Unfortunately, the rule applies for everyone if you break the law, you have to pay for it. It’s very sad for them,” said Walid Loutfi, the owner of Barmacy.
But some hate to see a business go. For them, the area is an up-and-coming community and can use all the local business owners it can get.
“The bars impact really Akron in general because this is your Ohio City of Akron,” said Steven Tannous, owner of the Matinee bar. “I always say we're a cocktail lounge and a fine dining away from being a true attraction.”
While the tavern has remained empty for three years, not all hope is lost for this stretch of Market Street.
“I think, at this point, another entity is going to take over the location with a new license. They are not going to be operating as Highland Tavern LLC anymore,” said Mendenhall.
RELATED: Highland Tavern in Akron has liquor license revoked after repeated COVID-19 violations
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