COLUMBUS (WCMH) — New Year’s Eve is typically a busy night for restaurants and bars across Columbus. Saying goodbye to 2020 will look a lot different because of the pandemic and a statewide curfew in place.
The Walrus owner Brad Hobbs says much like 2020, what their night will look like is all up in the air.
He says in the past they would have been busy all day long.
The lights are on and decorations in place. The Walrus is ready to go for New Year’s Eve Dinner.
“We have one reservation on the books and usually every single one of our tables is booked and we have about double the seating,” says Hobbs remembering what last year looked like.
He says they’re preparing for any outcome: a slow night or a busy night. They plan to celebrate midnight at least somewhere in the world.
“At 7 p.m., it’s going to be midnight in Ireland so we’re going to use that as a chance to celebrate here so we’re going to do a ball drop, we have some special cocktails with Jameson and those will be available all day and all night, said Hobbs.
Briannah Rose the kitchen manager says, “It’s kind of questionable because are they going to come out and celebrate with us? Are they going to pregame with us?”
Rose says they are fully staffed for a full socially distant dining room and plenty of carry out.
“Whether we’re slow or we get hit, which hopefully we get at least something you know I’m confident we can pull through the night.”
The entire state is under a 10 pm curfew. So a midnight celebration is out of the question.
“When people are in our restaurant, they are following a lot more protocols than they would be at house parties or at other different functions that don’t have supervision we would have loved to have our normal hours or at least a little bit later hour for New Year’s but I understand safety is obviously the most important thing for our community.”
Governor DeWine reissued the curfew Wednesday. It’s extended another three weeks until January 23rd.