Corona Sports Grill T's Tavern Falls Victim To Pandemic, Shutters Permanently
CORONA (CBSLA) -- The owners of T's Tavern and Sports Grill in Corona say they feel like the rug has been pulled out from under them, and there's nothing they can do.
After fighting for months to keep their restaurant and its employees afloat, the popular neighborhood tavern is closing its doors for good due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're only making about 25% of our sales and even at 50% capacity we can't pay our bills," said co-owner Rachel Gardea.
Gardea said that during the initial COVID-19 shutdown, she and her business partner Teri Richards were awarded a PPP loan that allowed them to bring back all their employees and reopen their doors. But over the past five months, they've still lost about $150,000.
"You still have vendors, employees, payroll tax, rent..." Gardea said.
With all those bills adding up and no timeline for reopening the restaurant at full capacity, they've made the difficult decision to cut their losses and move on.
"We're walking away knowing that we gave 100% and it's not our fault," Richards said.
On Tuesday night, customers hugged the co-owners before making their way to the outdoor dining area for one of the last times.
"It's devastating because this is a gathering place for all the locals," one customer said.
T's Tavern and Sports Grill will be open until Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. before closing its doors for the last time.
