It’s Dry January, so pour one out for the bar owners
YAHAIRA Gil Maestro, a craft beer bar owner in New York City, supports the wellness goals of her customers. “We know people want to start healthier habits, and we respect that,” she said.
But as a business owner, she feels a bit more conflicted about Dry January, the voluntary month of sobriety that has become trendy in recent years.
Because so many of her customers stop drinking at the same time, the month is a collective financial drain for her. It also comes at a time when business is already slow because of cold weather and holiday fatigue.
“I’m willing to advocate for a dry June. Our business can better take the hit then,” she said, laughing. “Or maybe people can take turns stopping to drink?”
She is an owner of BierWax, a bar known for its vinyl collection that has locations in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and Ridgewood, Queens, the latter of which opened less than a year ago. There, business has been so slow that Gil Maestro has had to let go of one bartender and reduce the hours of another, and to close on Mondays and Tuesdays this month.
Gil Maestro is also seeing less foot traffic at her Brooklyn location. Though it is still too early to know January sales numbers, she believes that they will be worse than last January, when revenue at her Brooklyn location plummeted 17 per cent.
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According to Morning Consult, a data research company, 15 per cent of American adults planned to participate in Dry January this year. While those temporarily going sober have great intentions – they are often looking after their health, their finances or both – the economic ramifications can loom large for small businesses across the city.
“People just don’t think about what it can do to a business,” Gil Maestro said. “Even a few thousands of dollars can have a very large impact.” It can determine whether owners can make rent and pay their employees, she said.
While New York City bars have contended with Dry January for years, they are also continuing to navigate the fallout from the pandemic. Last year, Omicron was raging in January. Bars closed because of outbreaks among workers, and so many people were sick – or scared of getting sick – that they stayed home, sober or not.
And this year, an ongoing “tripledemic” (flu; Covid-19; respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV), along with economic uncertainty for many, continues to pose challenges for New York’s usually robust nightlife scene. Morning Consult found that 73 per cent of those embracing Dry January were forgoing alcohol to save money.
“There is always a slight seasonal downturn in January, but the situation has definitely been more fraught at this moment in time,” said Zack Kinney, a founder of Kings County Brewers Collective, a brewery in Bushwick, Brooklyn. “There is still Covid, inflation is higher, people are more sensitive about spending money, all those things are contributing to the tight squeeze on top of Dry January.”
Kinney estimated that beer sales were down 15 per cent to 20 per cent this month.
At Interboro Spirits and Ales, a brewery and distillery in East Brooklyn, business has been slower “even than other Januaries,” said owner Laura Dierks.
Her business is taking a hit because her clients – other bars and restaurants across the city who buy her beer – are struggling. “If you don’t do well in the fall, and you haven’t been able to save enough money to pay your rent in January, then you’re in trouble,” Dierks said.
But Interboro is pivoting to reflect the demand. It is one of the city’s many businesses offering nonalcoholic beverages to appeal to a wider population, especially this month. “We did a test keg last month,” Dierks said. “People liked it, so we are going to do more.”
At the beginning of January, The Cobra Club, a karaoke bar in Bushwick, posted its nonalcoholic menu – the selection includes items such as Bud Zero and virgin frozen margaritas – on Instagram with the caption, “If you are participating in sober January but still want to have a social life, play pool, go to comedy shows and karaoke we got you covered!”
Liquor stores do not have this option, said Anetta Klencner, the owner of Roebling Liquors, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “Liquor stores in New York state cannot sell nonalcoholic beverages,” she said. “We are very limited by this strict law, and there is no way we can compete.”
She estimated that sales at her store were down 10 per cent this month, a loss she has tried to make up for by selling wine to event planners who organise weddings and corporate events. “Individuals may be doing dry January, but the world moves on, and special events are not going dry,” she said. NYTimes
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