Daniel Cook says it乌鸦传媒檚 a happy ending for him and his staff, now that his Surrey-area pub is set to reopen after an insurance-costs crisis nearly forced the place to close forever.
The doors to his will reopen at noon Wednesday (June 24) following a nerve-racking three months of COVID-related shutdown.
The mid-spring timing of a liability-insurance renewal was also cause for stress for him and his bar staff.
乌鸦传媒淪ome of the insurance companies wanted 10 times what my rate was last year,乌鸦传媒� said Cook, who has operated Donegal乌鸦传媒檚 for close to 14 years.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 not just us, it乌鸦传媒檚 happening to other bar owners,乌鸦传媒� Cook added. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just one more thing, because we乌鸦传媒檝e been closed for several months, we乌鸦传媒檙e coming back in a down market at half capacity because of physical distancing, and we won乌鸦传媒檛 be doing near the volume we were doing before. Our insurance rates were already high, and now it乌鸦传媒檚 going up significantly. It乌鸦传媒檚 a double whammy.乌鸦传媒�
Cook has chronicled his plight in , including some good news on Friday (June 19): A reasonable insurance rate had been secured for the bar to reopen.
乌鸦传媒淢y new rate is triple last year乌鸦传媒檚,乌鸦传媒� Cook told the Now-Leader. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be painful but it was literally the only other option I had, so it was that or close.乌鸦传媒�
An earlier quote was for $70,000, Cook said, with a $10,000 deductible for a claim.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e heard of one bar owner getting a quote of $100,000,乌鸦传媒� Cook said, 乌鸦传媒渁nd another, the rate went from $20,000 to $60,000 for a year.
乌鸦传媒淚t was all a shock to me, how much insurance costs had risen,乌鸦传媒� he added. 乌鸦传媒淚t used to be a soft market with lots of vendors, lots of competition for insurance business, but then in 2018 the market shifted and they were getting tight about who they were looking at. There乌鸦传媒檚 a much smaller market for insurance companies that will even touch hospitality, and most of them won乌鸦传媒檛 do bars and pubs. It乌鸦传媒檚 a huge issue, and it started becoming an issue even before COVID.乌鸦传媒�
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Meantime, some Donegal乌鸦传媒檚 regulars launched an to help Cook pay mounting bills.
乌鸦传媒淒onegal乌鸦传媒檚 has given so much to this community, and to live music, we wanted to try to help them to be able to reopen, and continue that work,乌鸦传媒� says .
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During the pandemic-related shutdown since mid-March, Cook went to work on renovations at Donegal乌鸦传媒檚, including polishing brass, new paint, lighting upgrades and some new washroom stalls.
For now, the pub operates with limited hours and plans to reintroduce live music at a later date.
乌鸦传媒淲e will be working with local health officers, our staff, and some trusted musicians to formulate a plan, and to make sure that when we do (bring back live music), we can ensure that it is done right,乌鸦传媒� .
乌鸦传媒淵es, I乌鸦传媒檓 anxious to start getting those sales up, it乌鸦传媒檚 been three months of no income, and the natural inclination is to ramp up business as fast as we can,乌鸦传媒� Cook added. 乌鸦传媒淏ut I believe that to be shortsighted, and potentially harmful. We will not be responsible for taking risks that could cause an outbreak just to make a few bucks; the lives of our community mean more than that, we will find a way to do it better.乌鸦传媒�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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