BRADENTON BEACH – The Drift In is open again and now offers a limited food menu.
The Bradenton Beach bar reopened Friday, Aug. 14 after being ordered to close on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
“They came in and told us we didn’t have a license to serve food, so we had to close. I was not told what the complaint or violation was. Somebody turned us in. I have a pretty good idea who it was, but I’m not going to say,” owner Joe Cuervo said.
Cuervo said he has not seen a copy of the complaint that led to the Drift In in Bradenton Beach and the Drift In in Bradenton being ordered to close on the same night.
“I had to get a restaurant/hotel license, but they were very accommodating,” Cuervo said of his food licensing interactions with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
“We’ve got our air fryer, our pizza oven and we’re legal now. We’ll be serving pizzas, sandwiches, chicken tenders, French fries and onion rings. Stuff that is very simple,” Cuervo said.
Cuervo said his new hotel/restaurant license cost him approximately $200 and is a separate license that now works in unison with his long-held 4COP liquor license.
Cuervo said to maintain his status as an establishment that allows smoking, his food revenues cannot exceed 10% of total gross revenues.
Cuervo hopes to reopen the Drift In in Bradenton in a similar fashion soon.
Openings and closings
This is the second time the Bradenton Beach Drift In has reopened during the pandemic.
On March 17, Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibited Florida bars, nightclubs and other establishments that generate more than 50% of their revenues from selling alcohol for on-site consumption. Stand-alone bars were limited to package and takeout services only.
On June 5, DeSantis allowed bars to reopen at 50% capacity. But in response to a surge in new COVID-19 cases among younger people, DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears issued an emergency order on June 26 that again prohibited stand-alone bars and other non-restaurant establishments from selling alcohol for on-site consumption.
On July 1, Beshears amended his order in a manner that currently allows bars with food licenses to operate at 50% capacity. Bars without food licenses remain limited to takeout and package service only, and night club operations remain prohibited.
Operating procedures
Drift In patrons are required to wear masks or face coverings when entering and exiting the bar, and also when getting up from their seats to use the restrooms.
“I’ve lost a ton of money, so we’re going to do what we need to do to stay open. We’re playing by the rules. We’re doing everything that’s expected and more,” Cuervo said.
Cuervo said the independently licensed hot dog cart operation that was doing business in the parking lot three nights a week before the initial bar closures occurred may soon return to further supplement the food offerings.
Cuervo said he hasn’t heard anything from the state regarding when Florida’s bars will be allowed to reopen at full capacity.
“I haven’t heard one word. They can open up Disney and Universal and all these other places, but they won’t let the little local bar open? It’s ridiculous. Nail salons and hair salons are open and those are one-on-one services that require contact with each other. With us, you’re handed a drink over the counter. In a restaurant, you order a drink, the server tells the bartender, the bartender makes the drink and hands it to the server and the server hands it to you,” Cuervo said.
Due to social distancing requirements, live music will be limited to the outdoor seating area.
Reopening again
After returning to work Friday evening, Drift In manager Doreen Flynn said, “We have a true food license so there won’t be any other issues. We’re all good now and nobody can shut us down. We are continuing to social distance. I took out some barstools and our tables are six feet apart.”
Regarding the complaint that shut the two bars down, Flynn said, “The complaints are confidential, and they told us they do not come to an establishment unless they get a complaint because they don’t have the manpower.”
Flynn said Anchor Inn owners Darla and Bobby Tingler previously obtained a food license to avoid a similar fate.
“Darla and Bobby really helped us, and their handyman, Jeff, helped us make the needed modifications for our food preparation area,” Flynn said.
