Downtown Belleville restaurant boards up until spring due to COVID-19 restrictions
A restaurant and bar owner in downtown Belleville has made the drastic decision to board up his business and stay closed until next spring.
Scott Schmelzel, who has operated Big Daddy’s 618 for 15 years, said it’s impossible to make a profit during the cold winter months under state COVID-19 restrictions that ban indoor dining and turn off gaming machines.
“We are losing more money by being open than if we just closed down,” he said Sunday.
Schmelzel plans to use the time off for renovation projects, including the replacement of an exterior wall with a garage-like door that can be opened to create an open-air atmosphere.
Big Daddy’s hasn’t served food or offered indoor seating since March, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposed a widespread state shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. People have been allowed to go inside only for gaming.
Schmelzel could have opened his dining room this summer, after an indoor-dining ban was lifted and before an increasing number of COVID-19 cases this fall prompted renewed restrictions, also known as “resurgence mitigations.” But he thought it made more sense to stick to his large patio.
“We had plenty of room to social distance,” he said. “Our outside bar is a full-service bar with TVs, a sound system, pavilion and ceiling fans.”
Everything changed last week, when temperatures dropped and Pritzker ordered Tier 3 mitigations under the Restore Illinois plan that included the closing of casinos and shutting down of gaming machines at restaurants and bars, effective Friday.
“For most bars, that is a lifeline,” Schmelzel said.
Schmelzel estimates that 75% of metro-east restaurants and bars are defying the governor’s orders and continuing to offer indoor dining. Some have received citations, but county state’s attorneys have refused to prosecute.
Schmelzel said the level of defiance is much lower in Belleville, where officials are doing COVID-19 compliance checks, and he expects it to decrease in Edwardsville, where a friend operates another Big Daddy’s restaurant and bar that’s not legally affiliated.
On Tuesday, Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton declared a coronavirus state of emergency, warning businesses that local police can enforce rules through municipal court.
“If people defy restrictions and they get citations, they think they’ve gotten away with it (if state’s attorneys don’t prosecute),” Schmelzel said. “But when it comes time to renew your liquor license or gaming license, those citations could become a problem and will most likely lead to a fine and a hearing by the state.”
Big Daddy’s 618 has been listed for sale for eight years. Schmelzel said he’s been waiting for the right offer and that interest has increased in recent months because his patio is viewed as an important asset during a pandemic.
This winter’s renovations will build on indoor remodeling that took place last spring, when the state shutdown was in effect, Schmelzel said. They will give the restaurant and bar a “warehouse look” with the garage-like door and industrial-style ceiling fans.
“We’re also thinking of changing the food concept to counter service,” Schmelzel said, likening it to The Loading Dock in Grafton, Fast Eddie’s Bon Air in Alton or Cutter’s in Belleville.
