CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Popular bar Lost and Found, which is located in Charlotte's South End neighborhood, announced on Facebook that it will be temporarily closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the post, Lost and Found said they will be forced to lay off their staff, saying "this all could not have come at a worse time and this is truly heartbreaking to say the least." Management said they were threatened to have their alcohol license revoked by the state of North Carolina or even be put in jail.
"Our brand is about being free spirited, expression, unity, community and about bringing people together forget about their troubles in a judgement free environment. During the past few months, under the current conditions, we regretfully have not been able to provide our beloved guests with those feelings and for that we sincerely apologize," Lost and Found wrote.
Lost and Found said the current restrictions placed on them by Gov. Roy Cooper aren't their choice.
"Doing 30% of the business we were doing pre-COVID with more staff to help manage due to regulations and mandates has been a burden but like most things we wanted to make sure, if [we're] going to operate, we would try to do so as responsibly as possible. It has been more challenges than we expected, and without a doubt harder to operate than we had 3 times the amount of people in the building," Lost and Found management said.
Lost and Found said they plan to reopen as soon as they're allowed to return safely and without tight restrictions.