CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A popular South End bar has once again closed after it opened in defiance of Governor Cooper's Executive Order, hoping to show it could operate safely.
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director, Gibbie Harris said Pins was not a restaurant, and therefore was not able to operate as such.
“Pins is not a restaurant. They have no permit to operate as one. I have talked with Deputy Chief Estes and he will have an officer go back out and enforce the EO which does not allow bars or arcades at this time,” Harris said in a statement.
This comes a day after the owner told WCNC Charlotte that he had to open to save his business after being closed for four months. The business invested in several layers of protection to sanitize areas and games.
Pins Mechanical Company was only open about four months before the pandemic. It has now been closed four and a half months.
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Since it is not a restaurant, it was left out of Phase 2 of Governor Cooper’s reopening plan. Restaurants with bars, wineries, and breweries have all been allowed to operate.
Pins Mechanical Company is part of Rise Brands, which has several other establishments across multiple states and cities.
CEO of Rise Brands, Troy Allen said he took a combination of the safety protocols at other locations, in addition to state and local rules, to go above and beyond to reopen the Charlotte location.
“Everything has been in place and sitting for two months, and so again, after being closed for four months, at some point I still need to run a business,” Allen said. “It's super important the safety aspect of this, but I know we're going above and beyond."