How 5 Of Our Favorite Bear Bars Are Staying Afloat In These Times
Throughout the pandemic, many local bars have been struggling to survive. With new social distancing guidelines being put into place to ensure the health and safety of everyone, many of these businesses have had to think of creative ways to stay afloat.
Here are 5 of our favorite Bear bars across the world, and what they’re doing to support themselves during the crisis.
Rockbar NYC — New York, New York
Back in June, when New York started to open up again, many bars in NYC were allowed to sell to-go drinks out of their front doors and windows, so Rockbar NYC joined he party! While many other bars were receiving complaints about patrons congregating in clusters on the sidewalk outside of their establishments, Rockbar, along with other bars along Christopher Street in The Village, were at an advantage being so close to the Christopher Street Pier.
Patrons of Rockbar ordered to-go drinks and took them to the pier for small, socially distant gatherings with members of their support bubbles. They also began selling Rockbar face masks and food, including hot dogs, meatloaf on bun, grilled cheese and quiche, along with to-go drinks.
However, there does not seem to be word of New York City opening in a way that will allow Rockbar to service at its full capacity, and the bills are piling in. Rockbar has set up a GoFundMe to assist with staying afloat for the next year.
Eagle Tokyo — Tokyo, Japan
The Eagle Tokyo is temporarily closed from August 3 to August 31, but the Nippondanji Shop, located inside the Eagle Tokyo, is continuing to sell products via their online shop.
Nippondanji is a Japanese clothing brand, which also features popular gay manga characters. They make and ship all sorts of products throughout the world, including t-shirts, caps, masks, accessories, sex toys and wall art work.
The Duke of Wellington — London, United Kingdom
“The Welly” in London’s Soho District has reopened and are adhering to social distancing measures. They have reduced the number of tables, and all tables are positioned 1 meter apart, with a maximum of 6 people allowed to be seated at each.
They are also encouraging guests to book ahead of time on their website, to use the MyPub app to order drinks and limit movement, and to use contactless payment as opposed to cash.
For more information about The Welly’s safety measures, visit dukeofwellingtonsoho.co.uk/london/welcome-back, and watch the video!
The Lone Star Saloon — San Francisco, California
Back in June, the Lone Star Saloon in San Francisco started the “Sit On My Face” bar stool leg sponsorship, in which patrons sponsored bar stool legs and in return got their faces laser etched onto it. The sponsorship is now complete, as all of the legs have been sponsored, but the saloon is still asking patrons to support them by heading to their online store to purchase merch.
The saloon also started selling “Bear Grub” — tasty food made from scratch for delivery and curbside pick-up — every Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Eagle Wilton Manors — Wilton Manors, Florida
The Eagle Wilton Manors is partially open, and Eagle Liquors now has two ways to shop online. If you are local, you can order beer, wine & liquor, and lube and e-stim parts cleaner for delivery to your home or pickup at the Eagle.
They have also launched Eagle Leathers for online shopping and can ship purchases to anywhere in North America. Products include underwear and jockstraps, leather gear and accessories, t-shirts and sex toys.
Patrons are also encouraged to donate a tip to support the bartenders, barbacks and staff of Eagle Wilton Manors during this challenging time.
