Houston Republic

The popular downtown Houston beer garden restaurant that closed to dine-in customers because of a reportedly unwritten policy by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office has reopened for dine-in service, according to the owner.

“Overall, we have been doing well over the summer,” said Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Beer Garden & Restaurant on Lyons Avenue. “Obviously, not as well as pre-COVID-19, but still doing all right.”

It’s been widely reported that Texas bars have continued to struggle to survive during the pandemic ever since Abbott shuttered Texas bars a second time. That same day, he postponed plans to reopen the state's economy because coronavirus cases were on the rise in June.

“We have brought back pretty much all of our team,” Wagner told the Houston Republic.

Saint Arnold’s had been limited to pick-up and drive-thru service. It was allowed to remain open under the state's pandemic response guidelines because it operates as a restaurant with less than half of its sales in alcohol, Houston Republic previously reported.

“The real key is we need COVID to go away, most likely after everyone is vaccinated, to return to pre-COVID business levels,” Wagner said in an interview.

There have been 777,556 coronavirus cases confirmed statewide and 16,230 fatalities as of Oct. 7, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The Lone Star Standard reported Sept. 21 that Abbott allowed retail stores to open to 75% occupancy. Under the new orders, occupancy levels were increased for restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, gyms, exercise facilities and classes, museums and libraries.

“We have not opened any of our indoor spaces so the governor’s orders expanding capacity has not affected us on that front,” Wagner said. “It has increased the amount of beer we are selling to on-premise businesses, though.”

Texas Business Daily reported that the overall health of the Texas economy remains severely depressed, sitting at the lowest levels since 2009 despite some improvements since the beginning of the pandemic.

“An increase in business would help the business’s profitability since we aren’t really profitable at current levels,” Wagner said.