STATE COLLEGE, PA – It has been well over a year now since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in that time there has been much progress made. But, the hardships faced by COVID-19 did not just vanish with the arrival of the vaccine. Small businesses everywhere are still struggling to bounce back, and our area is no exception. Centre county is still feeling the lingering effects caused by the pandemic. In specific, locally-owned bars were hit especially hard due to the strict regulations, shortened hours, and capacity limits put into place for most of the 2020 year.
One bar that still feels the effects of the pandemic is Cafe210 West, a State College favorite. Cafe 210 West has been a staple in the community for many years due to the spacious outdoor seating and live music that the cafe offers. Their outdoor seating proved to be a valuable asset during the pandemic. Owner, J.R Mangan explained that “it definitely slowed down, about 50%.” He claimed, “We were lucky because of our outdoor seating, that definitely helped a lot with spacing people apart.”
But, the smaller crowds meant that business was not booming as per usual. Mangan, unfortunately, had to make the decision to let employees go due to the low demand for work. In the meantime, the remaining employees had to learn how to adapt to an ever-changing work environment. Extra safety and sanitation steps were put into place and are still practiced today. Brent Williams, a bartender at Cafe 210 West explained that working there “during COVID-19 was a really difficult experience for all of us,” he said. “We had to make sure that we were following all the guidelines that the borough was putting out, and making sure that all of the customers were following the guidelines.”
Inside Cafe 210 West
The staff not only saw differences in their daily work duties but with their incomes as well. Tip-based employees, such as Brent, were receiving less pay due to the decrease in customers, but also because of some of the regulations put in place by the state. Customers were not allowed to be served at the bar, they had to buy food if they wanted a drink, and bars were prohibited to be open past 11 p.m. This was the new reality for those working in the bar industry until April of 2021.
As of now, most of the restrictions have been lifted here in Centre County, but local businesses like Cafe 210 West are still feeling its effects. Besides the financial toll, the owners and staff still are trying to familiarize themselves with the new post-shutdown norm. Right now, many workplaces are highly understaffed and overworked. That being said, Centre County residents are continuing to take the necessary safety precautions and approach situations with patience and understanding so that they can continue to enjoy local businesses such as Cafe210 West during these uncertain times.