Fundraiser Asks Park Slope To Help Keep 'American Cheez' Bar Open

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A new fundraiser is hoping to raise enough to save a neighborhood dive bar that closed for the "foreseeable future" this week given the strain of the coronavirus crisis.

The GoFundMe, set up on Sunday, has already raised $13,000 of its $20,000 goal for American Cheez, which has been open seven years on Seventh Avenue and 15th Street.

The bar — which, like many Park Slope spots, has been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic — shut down again on Monday given the strain of coronavirus restrictions, according to its Facebook page.

"Covid and it's restrictions have made the situation dire for the bar," GoFundMe organizer Nicholas Peluffo wrote. "They've stayed open as long as possible but as expenses turn to debts and sales dwindle they've decided to close and see if they can keep the venue long enough to reopen when Covid and/or Cuomo allow it."

The donations, according to the fundraiser, won't guarantee American Cheez will survive, but will make it more likely they can reopen.

This week's GoFundMe is the second fundraiser started for American Cheez, which, like all restaurants, was first forced to close in March.

Another fundraiser started for its staff at the beginning of the pandemic has raised $17,000.

Restaurants and bars across New York City have struggled to stay open since the start of the pandemic, and most recently warned that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's renewed ban on indoor dining could be the final nail in the coffin for the industry.

Indoor dining, which reopened at limited capacity in September, was shut down again Dec. 14 in New York City given rising coronavirus cases.