SALT LAKE CITY — Bars in Utah have been under Governor Herbert's executive order since November 8, mandating they stop serving alcohol at 10 pm.
Over the last month, FOX13 has spoken with different businesses around Salt Lake City and beyond about how it’s affecting them.
Here are some of those previous stories:
- Herbert announces mask mandate, social gathering limits, hold on extracurricular activities
- Utah's new COVID-19 restrictions are now in effect
- Utah bar owners react to new COVID-19 restrictions
- Weekend bar profits hit hard by new COVID-19 executive order
- Bars and employees struggling to make ends meet under new COVID-19 restrictions
Now that four weeks have passed, these places of business are struggling more than ever, and some may not survive.
“There’s a handful of owners that have decided… if this goes on for another three or four weeks, there’s nothing that we can do” Micheal Repp from The Sun Trapp told FOX13 on Saturday.
A sentiment echoed by Kirk Bengtzen, owner of Twist, who said, “I know three right now that aren’t even going to be able to make it through this… they just don’t have the financial means.”
Kirk also struggling through talking about his employees.
“Spencer, this is going to make me a little emotional. Before Thanksgiving, it was 'Kirk, I don’t know what to do. If I buy Thanksgiving for the kids, I may not be able to pay rent or my car payment,'” and addint, “For the last 3 weeks, about 5-7 employees every single week coming to me in tears.”
Watch the above video for more on what bars are feeling through this tough time.