Dublin Pub preps for social distancing while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

DAYTON, Ohi — Social distancing and reservations are two things one Dayton Irish pub owner said will be key to keeping the party on his patio safe for St. Patrick’s Day.

News Center 7′s John Bedell shows us the other changes consumers can expect to see on St. Patrick’s Day because of the pandemic on this year.

The Dublin Pub is on the edge of the Oregon District is Dayton. On a normal year, they throw one of the three biggest St. Patrick’s Day parties in the Miami Valley. Things will look different this year all to make the celebration safe in the middle of the pandemic.

Steve Tieber, co-owner of the Dublin Pub, said, “Getty ready to go into St. Patrick’s Day, our busiest day of the year.”

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It won’t be the usual bash at the pub, but at least they will be in business. St. Patrick’s Day was the first big holiday that COVID-19 cancelled last year.

“This is going to sound kind of weird, but we’re trying to keep people out because we’re very limited on capacity,” Tieber said.

He told News Center 7 that they are reservation only inside and out. Plus the tables in the pub, on the patio and on their city of Dayton-approved pop-up patio in the parking lot will all be socially distanced.

Tieber said, “You gotta walk in a line to walk up and go get a beer and be six feet apart and we have little signs and we have all these little hand-sanitizing stations everywhere and the tables are really spread out. The tables we’re using for the outside are these six-foot round tables so they’re six feet around. So, everybody you’re sitting with you’re basically six feed across from you.”

One of the other St. Patrick’s Day changes at the Dublin Pub is curbside pickup. There won’t be any online or phone orders. There will be a makeshift drive through next to the pub along Wayne Avenue.

Tieber admits none of this is ideal, but it’ll let them have a day to celebrate their Irish roots.

“If you don’t have a reservation, you’re not going to be able to come in. That’s going to make things easier on our end. We hate the fact that we have to do this. We don’t like any aspect of what we’re doing, but at the same time, it’s the safest way we can get through the day,” Tieber said.

Cox Media Group