Indoor Dining Ends: Will Music Venues Survive the Winter?

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Friday that indoor dining must end on Monday in New York City. This decree will result in the temporary and possible permanent closing of some of the city's most popular music venues.

The governor's reversal of the city's reopening in recent months is a cautionary move to de-escalate the rising second wave of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. This move is intended to avoid a broader shutdown beyond the local food and hospitality industries. Restaurants and bars are "one of the few areas that we think we can actually make a difference," Cuomo said at the press conference announcing the closures.

In the press conference, Cuomo acknowledged the hardship that his decision will cause. He called on federal lawmakers to provide relief to the hospitality industry, which some see as an empty cry. Congressional leaders have stalled on ratifying a new economic stimulus package.

Cuomo hinted at this closure in earlier press conferences this month, so Friday's announcement was a heartbreaking but not surprising eventuality. Perhaps ins preparation, owners and talent bookers at many restaurants had responded by knowingly scheduling live entertainment only a week or two in advance. Despite the desire and commitment on the part of restaurant owners to help in the fight against the spread of infection, the announcement was devastating.

Jeff & the Incidentals, consisting of Jeff Kazee (pictured above), G.E. Smith and
Neal "the Dude" Pawley, performed at City Winery last Saturday
and will perform again tonight.

The first venue to announce on Friday that it will close temporarily was City Winery. The venue initially was scheduled to open in its new location (25 11th Ave.) in March but due to the pandemic delayed its soft opening to October. Two months later, the venue will close again tomorrow night. In recent weeks, City Winery showcased live performances by Teddy Thompson, James Maddock, Dave Broza, Jill Hennessey, Svetlana & the Delancey Five and many other musicians. City Winery also was perhaps the only restaurant in New York City that recently began mandating COVID-testing on-premises for all staff and guests two nights each week.

"It is with tremendous frustration that we are announcing the temporary closure of our new facility at Pier 57 in Hudson River Park, following our service on Sunday, December 13," Michael Dorf, CEO and founder of City Winery, wrote in a newsletter. "Unfortunately, this is despite the fact that our rapid COVID testing system has been a huge success for the past three weeks, creating a 100% COVID-tested bubble in our restaurant for all employees and guests. With over 800 tests performed, we actually caught a few positives before they exposed others. Testing works —especially finding asymptomatic people.  But alas, we will follow the mandate and close operations until further notice. We do hope to re-open early in the new year and demonstrate again that with the highest levels of caution, one can create an environment for the safe enjoyment of food, wine, and music."

Detroit Grease performed at City Winery on Thursday and Friday
and will return for a final performance on closing night, Sunday.

Dröm (85 Ave. A) featured entertainment, food and drinks outside on the sidewalk all summer. The venue moved its operations indoors at 25% capacity about a month ago.

"I kept Dröm open for my workers but I cannot do this anymore. I do not have any money left to stay open," said the proprietor, Serdar Ilhan. The restaurant and music venue featured jazz, rock and Mediterranean (primarily Greek and Turkish) music. "Closing indoor dining does not make sense. We are very careful with hygiene and social distance but they force people to eat outside in the smallest fully-enclosed wood cottages. I will be closed until we will get back to normal days. I am tired."

The Blue Note (131 W. 3rd St.), which has presented some of the biggest names in jazz since 1981, does not have the real estate in front to host outdoor dining. It recently reopened indoors at 25% capacity, presenting live music by Eddie Palmieri, Maurice "Mobetta" Brown and others. It will close again indefinitely after Sunday night.

Bryan Stephens performed outdoors at Cafe Wha? last night

Café Wha? (115 MacDougal St.) had outdoor music during the summer and then added indoor music in October. The venue will close altogether after Sunday. The outdoor-dining-only policy cannot sustain the operation during the colder months.

Pressured by the new turn of events, the proprietors of local bars and restaurants once again this year must make life-sustaining decisions immediately regarding the precarious future of their businesses. Numerous factors, including the fears of rising infection rates, customers' thinning wallets, and a general public resistance to colder weather, compound this new turning point. Several performers told this journalist that they were disappointed in the small number of fans who attended their live performances as compared to how many attend their live streams from home.  The majority of the city's major music venues remained closed since the pandemic started; with ongoing maintenance costs, many of these venues may not be able to withstand the waiting period. Those venues that did open invested in the construction of sidewalk and curbside kiosks, yet most local bars and restaurants reported declining clientele after Thanksgiving. These considerations and others are influencing the "if" and "how" of local music performances through the winter.

Arlene's Grocery (95 Stanton St.), which presented rock bands nightly for 25 years and was the local launching pad for Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga and the Strokes, among others, will close permanently on February 1 unless emergency aid is achieved. The Jazz Standard (116 E. 27th St.) also cannot survive the pandemic and will close. Blackthorn 51 (80-12 51st Ave., Elmhurst) and Max Fish (120 Orchard St. ) likewise surrendered and closed their doors, hoping to sign leases in new locations at a future time when bars and restaurants can operate at 100% capacity. Many other clubs are holding virtual fundraisers and selling merchandise online to prevent closure..

Brian Halloran performed at the Red Lion last night

The Red Lion (151 Bleecker St.), which had outdoor dining and live music during the summer and recently moved the music indoors, either will have to move the musicians outdoors again or pause its 17-year nightly live music series. Caravan of Dreams (405 E. 6th St.), which similarly transitioned from outdoor music to indoor music this month, will meet a similar fate.

Carl Banks performed at the Red Lion this past Sunday

With precious little space indoors, the Terremoto Coffee Room  (328 W.17th St.) suspended its music series until the spring. Nomad (78 2nd Ave.) had already cut back its music program due to declining clientele. David's Café (110 St. Marks Pl.) ended its Saturday night live music series.

Teddy Hornagic with Mar Capon at Nomad this past Sunday

Several of the smaller bars and restaurants that featured live music will try to endure the coming weeks cautiously and hopefully.

Piers Lawrence at Pinky's Space last night

Pinky's Space (70 E 1st St.) will host live music outdoors as long as musicians are willing to play on the sidewalk.

Kelley Swindall performed at Marshall Stack last Saturday

Karl Schwarz at Marshall Stack last Thursday night

The Eli Bridges Duo at Marshall Stack last night

Marshall Stack (66 Rivington St.) was among the first restaurants to host live music, starting in June. The venue was among those that successfully pioneered the movement of musicians playing indoors through open windows to an audience seated outdoors. The venue recently added 25% indoor seating, which will end on Sunday night. The venue will continue booking live music for its outdoor audience for as long as is feasible.

Amadou Gaye last night at Groove

Groove (125 MacDougal St.), which similarly features musicians indoors performing by an open window, had outdoor dining all summer and recently added 25% indoor seating. The eatery will remain open another weekend. The results of that weekend may dictate how it will proceed.

Rob Mastrianni at the Anyway Café last Sunday

"We will just keep it as it is right now, with musicians indoors by the window," said Natasha  Stolichnaya, who books the music artists at the Anyway Café (32 E. 2nd St,). "So far none of the musicians cancelled for the next week."

Contemporary Adults at the Anyway Café last night

"I cannot imagine live music coming to an end in New York City, regardless of weather or indoor restrictions," concluded John Mato, who books talent at Marshall Stack. "It will find a way. Whether it is from a fire escape, on the street, in a living room or a live stream, live music has always been the heartbeat of New York City."