How New York’s Prohibition Era 21 Club Closure Differs From Pandemic Impacted Businesses

Following New York Governor Cuomo’s decision to temporarily stop indoor dining in NYC amid the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases, an iconic bar in NYC has announced its plans to close its doors.

The 21 Club, which was one of the most famous speakeasies of the Prohibition Era, temporarily closed down in March after the city became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, the NY Daily News reports.

However, on Friday, a spokesperson for the establishment announced its indefinite closure but claimed the 21 Club would reopen its doors one day.

“In light of the ongoing global crisis and anticipated extended recovery period for the hospitality industry, the difficult decision was made that it will not be feasible to reopen the 21 Club in its current form for the foreseeable future,” a spokeswoman for the business told the Daily News.

“The company is exploring potential opportunities that will allow 21 Club to remain a viable operation in the long term while retaining its distinctive character,” the spokeswoman added.

The 21 Club isn’t the first business to face a setback due to the coronavirus pandemic. In August, the Boston bar at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which was inspired by the show “Cheers,” announced it would shut down after failing to pay its landlord.

“I have faced, and pulled through, many kinds of downturns and upticks in the economy within the last 20 years,” owner Tom Kershaw said in a statement. “Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with no assistance from our landlord (Ashkenazy Acquisition Group), has made this current challenge insurmountable.”

Meanwhile, Sokolowski’s University Inn was forced to shut down in October after almost a century of business. At the time, the Cleveland owners revealed they could no longer afford to run the famous eatery.

“There wasn’t enough volume of business coming in,” co-owner Bernie Sokolowski told Ideastream. “We weren’t making enough to cover a lot of our expenses.”

Although 21 Club may reopen one day, the official website for the bar does not state when that reopening is expected to take place.