ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Two St. Charles County bar-restaurants lost a court battle on Wednesday.
Shamrock's and Tony's on Main were denied a request for a temporary restraining order which would have prevented them from having to close at 11 p.m. according to the county's COVID-mitigation measures, adopted late last month.
Owners of those two restaurants are also suing for damages due to loss of business.
Kyle Dent, owner of Shamrock’s, normally closes at 1:30 a.m. Dent said his industry is being unfairly singled-out.
“We question why the restaurant-bar industry is the only one being punished, and with no factual information. We've not been presented with anything," Dent said. "We weren't presented with anything today in court that showed that restaurants are the ones to blame.”
Dent claims current COVID-mitigation measures are not fair.
“If it's really about the spread of COVID-19,” he said, “then there needs to be facts. Why is it just bars and restaurants? Why is it not also Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby, and the big elephant in the room – why can you still go to Ameristar Casino, after every bar and restaurant in our area closed down? Why can you go drink there until 3:00 in the morning?”
In a statement, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann said, “The Director of Public Health is well within his authority to execute this order. Its purpose is not to keep people out of bars and restaurants entirely, as other jurisdictions have ordered, but is to keep them from flocking to St. Charles County after they are barred from other areas. We are doing this for the health of the community in order to stop the spread of this horrible virus. Normally, this situation would be great for business, but in the midst of this pandemic, it is extremely bad for health. We need to make certain that St. Charles County is not a magnet for those who want to stay out late and party in groups. As I have said before, the economy, education and the health of our citizens are all important as we make decisions regarding COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. St. Charles County is working hard to keep our businesses open, keep our kids in school, and keep all of us out of the hospital. We need everyone’s help to stop the rise of positive cases.”
Dent said forcing his restaurant-bar to close two-and-a-half hours early is taking a toll on his business.
“Now, on a normal weekend, at 11 p.m. I have to kick about 50 people out,” he said. “If you take that times about 20 dollars a person, and then take it from Nov. 24 to almost Dec. 24, those numbers add up.”
Dent says their next day in court in Jan. 8.