RFT STAFF
The Royale is one of multiple St. Louis bars that has announced a temporary closure due to COVID-19.
Three bona fide institutions in St. Louis' food and drink scene have announced today that they will be temporarily closing for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pie Guy Pizza, the Royale and Urban Chestnut all announced the closures today through social media.
In a post to Facebook, Royale owner Steven Smith says that one of the bar's staff members has been showing symptoms consistent with the disease, prompting the bar to close for the time being while staff members are quarantined and tested.
"We’ve taken pride in the fact that we have implemented procedures that our customers regard us as one of the safest places to enjoy a meal or drink in St. Louis," Smith writes. "As much as we would like to serve you this weekend we refuse to take unnecessary risks with our staff or our customers health."
Pie Guy, likewise, has also closed for the foreseeable future while staff is tested.
"A person we've come in contact with has tested positive for COVID," reads a statement on the restaurant's Instagram. "To be safe we're shutting down for an undetermined amount of time until everyone has been tested."
Urban Chestnut's statement on Facebook is much of the same, noting a "potential employee exposure" as one of the reasons it is closing the brewery's Midtown Biergarten for the time being.
"For a combo of reasons related to COVID-19: specifically, the local surge in cases, decreasing revenues, and potential employee exposure, we are unfortunately closing the Midtown Biergarten for the foreseeable future," reads the statement. "The Grove Bierhall with our curbside take n’ bake pizza & bier, and the Bierhall itself… with cold draught bier, smash burgers, frites and A/C remains open with a robust safety protocol in practice."
The closures come as St. Louis has seen a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. This week, the city was even IDed by the White House as a hot spot for the virus in a private briefing.
Mayor Lyda Krewson recently went so far as to slow the city's reopening plans in response to a rise in hospitalizations. She has said that the city may be forced to reimpose stricter measures if the situation is not brought under control.
