EVERETT, Wash — No fireworks display, no big parties, no night club scene. New Year’s Eve, just like pretty much everything this year, is not what it used to be.
Some bars are still trying to make it work on the night that would normally be one of the most profitable of the year.
The Fireplace Bar in Everett has been around since 1940, and New Year’s Eve is usually one of their busiest nights of the year.
“I would say it’s in our top three of the year. Thanksgiving, or I’d say the night before Thanksgiving, Christmas Day is actually a good one for us, but we’ve lost all that this year,” said owner, Shauna Stone.
COVID restrictions have made a profitable new year’s celebration nearly impossible for bar owners, according to Stone.
The Fireplace Bar added a tent to the beer garden so customers can sit outside, but that’s limited capacity from nearly 100 when they could have customers inside, down to 25 in the beer garden.
Stone had to take on another full-time job to make ends meet.
“I think we’re not even celebrating the new year; we’re celebrating the end of this year,” she said.
She was hoping a New Year’s Eve rush would help them turn the corner financially, but she doesn’t expect to bring in enough business.
“Profit-wise, I would just like to… well, paying the bills is good,” she said.
While many bars are losing out on one of the most profitable nights of the year, just up the freeway from The Fireplace Bar... Tulalip Casino is open.
But according to the casino’s spokesperson, it looks different for them as well.
They said in a statement to KING 5: “No fireworks, no sit-down dinner, no VIP dance, no special entertainment, no casino NYE promotions. It’s just a typical Thursday night, and we’re also limiting the number of people who can be inside at any one time.”
Angel of the Winds Casino had a similar stance saying in statement: “We are treating tonight the same as any other night. We have all our safety protocols in place that we have had since we reopened with a limited occupancy. Our number one focus is our guests' and our team members' safety.”
Stone hopes the new year will bring an end to COVID restrictions and new life to her business.
“I hope for rejuvenation. I think it’s not just financial, everybody is just frustrated and depressed,” she said, “I just hope that everybody starts fresh and that we can get back to, you know, making money this year instead of just surviving.”