A. Kam Napier for Pacific Business News, April 23, 2021
And they would still be closed today if Honolulu’s Tier system hadn’t been modified last month under Mayor Rick Blangiardi to treat them more like restaurants.
Some bars survived by adjusting revenue streams which is what distinguished a bar from a restaurant. If less than 30% of your revenue came from food sales, you were a bar.
Judy Foster Long, owner of Anyplace Cocktail Lounge, responded to the rules by buying two refrigerators to increase food storage.
She grew the menu, invested in take-out supplies, and offered take-out. Now back open, food sales make up about 40% of her revenue.