NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – The doors to the Old Ice House, a decades-old neighborhood spot in New Braunfels, welcomed it’s first customers in roughly seven months Wednesday afternoon.
The bar and others across Texas were allowed to reopen and operate at 50% capacity if they got the approval of county judges and if the region had low COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“It’s been tough, especially with adjusting to making way less money,” said Jennifer Hitchens, a bartender at the Old Ice House.
Hitchens said she was ecstatic to hear Gov. Abbott make the announcement last week about reopening bars.
“I’ve got kids, and so it’s definitely nice to be able to provide a little bit more,” Hitchens said.
Duane Ninndman, who’s been a customer for 30 years, said it feels like coming back home.
“I love it. It’s gonna be nice to see all your friends again. It’s gonna be good,” Ninndman said.
During the shutdown, many bar owners applied for restaurant licenses to be able to operate at limited capacity. But Jack Alves, who has been manager at Old Ice House for 30 years, said that wasn’t an option for them because they don’t have a kitchen.
In anticipation of reopening, Comal County officials consulted with health officials, mayors, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission and law enforcement to develop a strategy to reopen bars.
Staff is required to ensure that safety compliance will be maintained.
There is outdoor seating, but everyone who comes inside the bar must wear a mask. There will be sanitizing stations throughout the bar and 6 feet of social distancing is being enforced.
As part of the new guidelines, bars must stop serving alcohol at 11 pm.
Guadalupe County is another San Antonio-area county opting in to reopening bars.
Bexar County initially decided not to reopen, but County Judge Nelson Wolff on Wednesday night approved the reopening as early as next week.
You can look at a map of counties across Texas that can opt in to reopening bars by clicking here.