Not enough money to go around in the Restaurant Revitalization Fund prolongs struggles for local operators in the hard-hit industry inlander.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inlander.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After more than a year of restrictions, setbacks and loss, the hospitality industry's post-pandemic future was just starting to look up. Vaccines are readily available,.
Owners Kori Henderson and Paul Blacketer at Whim Wine Bar. When Kori Henderson and Paul Blacketer opened Whim Wine Bar in late summer 2019, they never expected their long-dreamed-of venture would soon be closed for more than a year while waiting out the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Well past the initial 2020 shutdown s one-year anniversary, the couple is still waiting to reopen inside River Park Square, opting for now to see if the two-week pause on rolling Spokane County from Phase 3 back to 2 will last. Opening for two weeks and shutting down again 25 percent capacity is not sustainable for the small bar, says Henderson, plus there s the cost of supplies and other expenses to reopen could tank the business for good. If there is no rollback, though, Whim is set to reopen May 20.