ST. FRANCIS, Wis.— Despite a very difficult 12 months, some bars and restaurants say they are optimistic that business may be picking up in the coming months. 

The owner of Bert’s Bar in St. Francis says that while they remain at 25% capacity, more customers have been returning to the bar in recent weeks. Spectrum News 1 first profiled Bert’s Bar owner Paul Frenn back in March of 2020. At the time they were only allowed to fulfill carry-out orders. At the time, Frenn says he could have never imagined the pandemic would last as long as it has. He says the past year has been a roller coaster. 

“Crazy, hard, and scary— no one was coming in, we had to lay off 50% of our employees and all the expenses keep rolling," says Frenn. 

During the pandemic, Bert’s Bar has invested in outdoor domes, a tent, as well as outdoor heaters. Frenn says it has largely been worth the investment. While the bar isn’t out of the woods yet, he remains confident they will pull through especially if the health crisis continues to improve. 

“I've lasted this far. Hoping everybody gets the vaccine, everybody comes out and they lift my capacity back to normal and we have a good summer," says Frenn.

Bert’s Bar continues to follow the mask mandate, and Frenn asks that customers respect the rules to keep other patrons and staff safe. ​