Facing fines and loss of liquor licenses, 2 Tri-Cities bars stop serving indoors
Two Tri-Cities bars that remained open for indoor dining and drinking in defiance of a state COVID-safety order have decided to end inside service, according to the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board.
State liquor license enforcement officers will make checks to ensure Koko’s Bartini in Kennewick and Kimo’s Sports Bar and Brew Pub in Richland are complying with the state mandate, said board spokesman Brian Smith.
Kimo’s Sports Bar initially had vowed to fight to remain open after receiving a written warning from enforcement officers last week, saying allowed options of take out, delivery or outdoor dining in the current cold weather were not a legitimate way of doing business.
Written warnings can escalate to fines, temporary suspensions of liquor licenses and the permanent loss of liquor licenses.
Koko’s Bartini had received a notice of violation requiring it either pay a $500 fine or accept a short-term suspension of its liquor license before it told state agencies it would stop indoor service.
It put up a tent around its pergola at the front of its building on Friday. Outdoor dining in tents, with some restrictions for good ventilation, is allowed.
It continues to post on social media that customers are invited to come down to the tent to protest restrictions on businesses.
A rally is planned at the bar at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, by people concerned about pandemic restrictions on businesses.
As four liquor enforcement officers left Koko’s Bartini after serving the enforcement order on Tuesday, their car was followed by multiple cars. When the officers stopped, people got out of the cars to confront them, saying the officers were infringing on their rights.
The officers left rather than escalate the confrontation, Smith said.
Earlier Sterling’s restaurants in Richland and Kennewick also defied Gov. Jay Inslee’s order to end indoor service of food and drink from Nov. 18 to at least Dec. 14 as rates of new cases of COVID are rising sharply in the state.
Sterling’s ended indoor service after receiving a notice of violation from liquor enforcement officers.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 11:42 AM.