The new "normal

Bar culture in times of Covid-19

State of emergency. Bars and restaurants: closed. Then, at the end of May, the first rays of hope. But with the relaxation measures for the gastronomy sector, everyone had to think about what the rules would now mean for their own pub. BAR NEWS asked around.
In the medium term, you will probably have to get used to Plexiglas, masks and contact tracing.

The Tales in Zurich was even somewhat surprised by the speed of the relaxation: "We expected to be allowed to open in June," says Wolfgang Bogner, who had used the lockdown for various renovations. As great as the joy about the reopening is, the challenges posed by the first industry protection concept are also great.

Not only did the bar lose 60 per cent of its seats, but the police hours were also a thorn in the side of the operators. Because when the weather is nice, the bar makes about 80 per cent of its turnover between midnight and three in the morning. But they managed the situation better than feared, the rectangular guest area could be divided relatively well and the rainy June also played into the Tales' favour.

Recently, reservations have also been accepted. "Only by telephone, so that we can see right away how long the guests would like to stay. That way we can better estimate whether they will really come or not," says Bogner.

In Tales, Zurich, the drinks cards are additionally framed and hang on the partitions.

Drinks "to go" were already a topic in the past, but they were never aggressively promoted. The Tales@ home project is also in the starting blocks, where cocktail lovers can pick up drinks or have them delivered by post.

Adrian Tännler and Lukas Hostettler from the Bernese Abflugbar also benefited from the "bad" June weather. The owners of the narrow cellar pub, where the 2-meter clearance could hardly be maintained, took their time with the reopening. It was not until mid-June that the cocktails from the new bar menu were served for the first time. This can now also be called up digitally via QR code - now the standard in many places.

On the bar there is a custom-made protection made of Plexiglas. Curtains can be drawn between the groups of guests as needed. "We are licensed for 50 people, now we can serve a maximum of 28 guests," says Adrian Tännler.

Unlike many other bars, the Keller venue could not benefit from the city's relatively generous expansion of outdoor seating. For this reason, the third Barkeeper of the team was "borrowed " to a bar that could make use of this expansion.

The Voodoo Reyes in Geneva opened even later. Bar manager Katalin Bene wanted to start again with a concept that was not just about survival. The bar is now open seven days a week and offers a simple menu during lunchtime.

The processes have also been optimised. For example, Barkeeper no longer takes care of table service and increasingly works with pre-batched cocktails. These are now also available to take away.

"How can we improve to strive, and not only just survive?"

Katalin Bene | Voodoo Reyes, Geneva

Bars where the patrons are mainly "locals" are likely to have the least trouble winning back their regular clientele. The situation is different in places that are heavily dependent on international tourism, major events or congress and corporate clients.

The guests at the Soho in Basel's Steinenvorstadt were still looking forward to a packed programme in February. Company aperitifs, concerts, events around the European Football Championship - everything had to be cancelled.

In Soho, Basel, the staff works with protective masks.

"People want to enjoy life again and we are also super happy that we can open again. But companies are still very reluctant. Many are still in their home offices, so we have very few events in this area," says Desiree Publioz, manager of the pub.

Are the measures being followed?

But the best security concept is only useful if it is also implemented. Fortunately, this seems to be the case for the most part in Switzerland. One exception happened in the night of 16 to 17 May in the Steinenvorstadt district of Basel. Guests and some bars disregarded the rules of social distancing.

Videos of the scene made the rounds - first on social media, later in the national media. Soho was also annoyed. Not only about the violation of the rules, but also about the reporting, which put the entire restaurant scene in Steinenvorstadt in a bad light.

"In Soho, we always followed the rules. On the following weekends, the police presence was then higher, since then it has worked very well in Steinenvorstadt," says Desiree Publioz.

The worst phase so far is behind us, but the danger of a second wave remains. That is why it is crucial that bars protect staff and guests as best as possible. As welcome as the latest relaxations are, the crisis is not over yet - neither the health crisis nor the economic crisis. Let's not gamble away the freedoms we have regained.

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