Popular Columbia bar The Whig nears a return after 9-month closure during COVID-19
For nearly nine months, Columbia’s The Whig has been shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But now the popular subterranean bar, which sits at the corner of Main and Gervais streets across from the South Carolina State House, is plotting a comeback.
The bar will soon begin a limited reopening. It will rely heavily on to-go orders for food, and any dine-in table options will be strictly by reservation only. Co-owner Phill Blair added that The Whig will be serious about mask wearing and social distancing, and the business will likely enforce capacity at about 25%.
While Blair didn’t have an exact date for restarting, he said Wednesday that a soft launch is likely over the next week and that the bar would announce more formal plans on its social media soon.
The Whig boss says he wants staff to be able to once again become familiar with the menu and have an opportunity to practice new safety protocols.
“It’s been nine months since we’ve made a plate of food, so we want to get everything dialed back in,” Blair said of prepping to reopen.
Through the years, The Whig has become known for not only a solid craft beer selection but a diverse menu of food offerings, including its signature Whig Chicken Sandwich and Smoked Gouda Mac N’ Cheese.
Blair, who also owns West Columbia’s WECO Bottle Shop and Biergarten, said there has been work done in recent months to make the underground Whig more conducive to reopening.
“We have been working on safety and ventilation stuff, including a whole new HVAC system for the whole building,” Blair told The State. “All of that is being completed. We are trying to find a way to rip the Band-Aid off and open to some degree. Obviously, we are not going to run at any normal capacity.
“But, we’ve reached the point where it has been nine months and the staff is bored out of their mind. All (governmental relief) benefits have run out. To retain (staff members), we’ve got to get them to work. So, here we are.”
The building that houses The Whig is 107 years old.
Blair stressed that, as The Whig ramps back up, the scene there won’t exactly resemble the one many Columbians have come to know and love.
“There will be very strict, limited table reservations and to-go food, that’s what we have planned,” Blair said.
The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard on the restaurant and hospitality industry. The National Restaurant Association said in a study that 110,000 restaurants have permanently shuttered in 2020, with more to come if federal relief is not approved by Congress.
The pandemic has taken its toll in Columbia, too. This year has seen the closure of everything from longtime local establishments such as Yesterdays in Five Points to popular chain joints such as Carolina Ale House in The Vista.
“It’s been awful,” Blair said. “Here at The Whig, it’s been trying to keep the staff invested in what we are doing and trying to keep the public remembering who we are as everybody slowly trickles back in. We are one of the last holdouts” in terms of restaurants that temporarily closed as a COVID-19 precaution.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 8:55 AM.
