ARCADIA, Calif. — It’s the last pour for bartender Lucas Morvant. At least for now.

After hearing the news of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to shut down bars once again, he is preparing to say goodbye to guests at Arcadia’s Drinkers Hall of Fame.

“I mean I understand where he’s coming from, it’s just a shame that we just got going, and we’re closed down again but I totally get it with the case rise. So, that’s basically where we’re at now,” Morvant said.


What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order for LA County bars to close effective immediately

  • Lucas Morvant, bartender with Arcadia's Drinkers Hall of Fame, says they just re-opened their doors

  • Preparing to close again, he worries whether he can pay rent without tips, his main source of income

  • He believes the business will survive the temporary closure, and is awaiting continued guidelines from the CDC

The bar just re-opened its doors on Thursday, and even though they abided by CDC guidelines, the rising COVID-19 cases in California urged Newsom to take action in certain counties. Los Angeles County is on the mandatory bar closure list.

“We enacted everything we could, as far as social distancing, temperature checks, sanitization, and all that stuff, but there’s only so much you can do. So I guess while we are closing down again we’ll just be waiting to hear the new news and ready to adjust to the new guidelines, and that’s all we can do,” he said.

Morvant has been a bartender for 10 years now. He said tips are his main source of income so even if he has to go back to unemployment, it won’t suffice.

“As somebody that pays their rent as a bartender, I feel like, yeah it’s a little unfair, but at the same time I can totally see without enacting social protocol like we are, how people can spread COVID indoors way easier. A lot of small businesses are struggling, I think this one will make it just because of the support it has, the good regulars it has. I think when we come back, we’ll be fine but it’s just a question of when, so, I think we’ll make it, we just got to get there.”