North Shore Restaurants Say 'Cheers' To End Of 9:30 P.M. Curfew

PEABODY, MA — Paddy Kelly's was always known as one of those "late-night" places.

For second shift workers, industry types and regulars whose lifestyles tended closer to being a night owl than an early riser, the traditional Irish restaurant and bar in Peabody was there for them with a full kitchen open until midnight and a 1 a.m. close.

"Rain, sleet, snow, hail, 365 days a year we were open until 1," Adam Drohan, who has owned Paddy Kelly's for 10 years, told Patch Thursday night. "The only time we had ever been closed was when we had a fire."

A fire in a back room in September 2019 led Drohan to undergo a full renovation. He had the place all redone and looking great for the grand reopening set for March 17, 2020.

"We had just finished the soft opening for friends and family," he recalled. "We had the corned beef, the food, the drinks, everything ready to go for St. Patrick's Day."

Two days before the grand opening, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a "three-week" closure of bars and restaurants amid the onset of the coronavirus health crisis that has turned into nearly a year of shifting statewide restrictions.

Drohan, who also owns Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill in Salem, said he tried to open in Peabody for takeout only in the spring but found it was not worth the staffing and food storage costs. It was Oct. 29 when he was finally reopened Paddy Kelly's to its traditional 1 a.m. closing time.

Which lasted all of two weeks until Gov. Baker announced a 9:30 p.m. curfew for most businesses, and a stay-at-home advisory, because of rising coronavirus rates ahead of the holidays.

"Here we're spending thousands of dollars on (personal protection equipment) and plexiglass," Drohan said, "and then you have this curfew where people are leaving just to gather at people's houses. If anything, I would think they would want people in restaurants with the limited capacity, the social distancing. We have hand sanitizer at every table.

"I think that's where they screwed up."

So Drohan was among the restaurant owners throughout the North Shore who cheered on Thursday when Gov. Baker announced the end of the business curfew and stay-at-home advisory as of Monday morning.

The 25 percent capacity limit — which many restaurant owners allow doesn't affect them all that much when tables are already spaced 6 feet apart or more — will remain in effect until Feb. 8 when Baker said that will be reevaluated as well.

Gov. Baker cited a steady drop in the positive test rate and a marginal drop in hospitalizations since the start of the month as the rationale behind ending the curfew.

Within hours, Paddy Kelly's and Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill had Facebook posts up proclaiming they will be back open until 1 a.m. every night starting Monday.

"Talking with some industry friends it was a really nice surprise," Drohan said. "Finally."

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

George Carey, owner of Finz Seafood and Grill and the "hibernating" Sea Level Oyster Bar in Salem, said he felt the same.

While Carey doesn't rely on the same late-night crowd as the pub/restaurants, he told Patch even being open until 11 p.m. will allow him to space out the dinner crowd and provide a more relaxed, enjoyable experience for diners.

"It's a smart move," he told Patch of ending the curfew. "I support it. Restaurants are safe. If you look at the numbers you see there is a lot less transmission that goes on in restaurants than nearly other businesses. Restaurants have always had to operate safely. We serve food. We go through far more stringent inspections anyway."

While the state never relented to those who sought to close indoor dining all together amid rising coronavirus numbers in recent weeks, many restaurant owners said the 9:30 curfew was too early and hurt already-suffering sales, while the stay-at-home advisory acted as a deterrent to in-person dining when they were open.

"The 9:30 curfew was preventing restaurants from having the ability to get a second seating, which is a significant source of business, especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday," Steve Clark, Director of Government Affairs, Mass. Restaurant Association, told Patch. "I know there are a number of places that were forced to lay off staff as a result of the 9:30 curfew. This is a welcome change, and we look forward to the continued easing of restrictions.

"The data continues to show that restaurant dining is not the cause of the increase in cases. It is a convenient talking point, but the scientific evidence does not back it up."

Drohan said that while many of his customers do feel comfortable with indoor dining at Paddy Kelly's, there are some who are staying away until coronavirus cases subside or they receive the vaccine. From them, he said he gets a lot of messages of "best wishes" and "can't wait to come back."

But for those looking for a bite after a long day at work, or to catch the second half of a game without being told they have to hit the road in the fourth quarter, the end of the curfew is a small step toward getting back to some sense of feeling normal.

"I think we need to give people more credit than we do," Carey said. "People are self-regulating. People who have health issues, who are worried, we have noticed they have made sound decisions about what they are comfortable doing.

"We are doing our very best to serve those who want to go out to eat safely and responsibly."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

More Patch Coverage: MA Town-By-Town Coronavirus Stats: High-Risk List Shrinks By 7

MA Lifting Stay-At-Home Advisory, Early Business Closures