PROVIDENCE – At around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, drinks and food inside Murphy’s Deli & Bar were widely available, but not seats.
Patrons packed the Irish bar on Fountain Street, some of them grabbing a bite to eat and drink after attending the New England Regional Turf Grass Conference & Expo at the R.I. Convention Center nearby. Others were donning black and white to root on the Providence College men’s basketball team playing in the Big East Tournament on all the televisions.
Just before tipoff, one bartender rang the bell calling for – and received – a “Let’s Go Friars!” chant from the patrons inside.
The packed atmosphere was needed for Murphy’s, and a stark contrast from the different kind of “March Madness” that fell upon the bar industry – and Rhode Island, for that matter – two years ago.
Local bars were among those most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which first hit the Ocean State in March 2020. But, local bar owners say this month now could be a perfect storm in their continued recovery from the pandemic after two years of minimal to no action.
The Friars’ upcoming run in the NCAA Tournament that starts next week, coupled with live events returning to the city, could become a significant springboard for local bars to get back on their proverbial feet – and keep the drinks flowing.
“I think now everybody is excited because we have been circumvented with COVID [for so long],” Murphy’s co-owner Ruth Ferrazano said. “I think this year with the combination of March Madness and PC doing so well, the feeling of the relaxation of the mandates and the worry about this virus, I think people are going to be bursting at the seams to go out and enjoy this month.”
Ferrazano recalled the city going from having people regularly pack the streets to being a “hospital zone,” with both the convention center being a field hospital and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center as a mass vaccination site, and other businesses closed down during the pandemic. Now, she says Murphy’s revenue has increased by as much as 40% from the previous year, thanks to PC basketball’s success. She also expected strong business coming in with the turf grass conference being in town for three days, as well.
Murphy’s is not alone in hoping for a strong future. Ron Koller, owner of The Malted Barley – which has a Westminster Street location – said that it would be “really good” if his operation sees revenues jumping by 20% to 30% this month, between PC basketball, St. Patrick’s Day coming next week and other special events The Malted Barley is directly having.
“More is better for sure,” Koller said. “Seeing a 20% to 30% increase will set us up really well going into the spring season.” He also hopes crowds attending larger citywide events, such as the scheduled return of PVD Fest, could further help his establishment.
Increased revenues for local bars could also help with their internal operations. Koller said additional revenue for The Malted Barley could both allow employees to get more hours working on certain shifts – creating additional earning potential – and purchase more food products to keep up with the demand.
Koller said The Malted Barley for the month of March is serving a rye pretzel reuben sandwich on the menu. He said the restaurant went through two weeks’ work of ingredients for the sandwich in just four days because demand was so high.
Murphy’s Bar Manager Patrick “Twiggy” Coen says he hopes additional revenue generated by the basketball tournament can help the establishment increase its inventory and financially put Murphy’s “in a good position for the rest of the year.” He also said Murphy’s just hired two new bartenders to help keep up with the high customer volume coming through the doors.
“People, I think, are ready to get back to work and get the economy back moving,” Coen said. “The revenue now [this month] is going to be going through the roof for us.”
Joshua Miller, owner of Trinity Brewhouse, said his establishment is still reeling from the pandemic, mainly because Trinity could not obtain any financial recovery funds to help offset losses and high expenses for staff and inventory costs. While he says recent crowds have brought Trinity’s revenues back to pre-pandemic levels, there’s still “a lot of catching up to do,” Miller said.
“What helps [us] is the convention center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center being active, and people back to work [downtown] in their offices,” Miller said, noting he foresees more downtown activity upcoming that could help generate more business at Trinity.
With crowds back, local bars are capitalizing on the “March Madness “– both on the basketball court and off – with various specials. Coen said Murphy’s will offer a menu geared toward college students for the March season, as well as a promotion where patrons can buy a ticket to possibly earn a beer prize sponsored by local beer distributor McLaughlin & Moran Inc. at the end of the month.
Miller said Trinity is continuing various specials, such as half-priced wings on Mondays and $5 taco nights on Thursdays, in an effort to bring people from outside to the city to the establishment without having a consistent work crowd in downtown.
The Malted Barley, meanwhile, is doing a four-day sixth anniversary celebration that began Thursday through March 13, Koller said. He also said The Malted Barley booked various parties, such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, six to nine months in advance, another sign of needed recovery for his establishment.
“I hope we can operate more normally going forward,” Koller said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
