Syracuse, N.Y. — Since March, Shifty’s Bar & Grill on Burnet Avenue has been open, one way or another. It’s done takeout only, then limited seating, and then back to takeout.
“But it hasn’t been Shifty’s,” said owner Ron Schultz. “We’re a place for socializing, playing pool, listening to music, dancing. If we can’t do those things, it’s not Shifty’s.”
So Schultz has decided to close the bar at 1401 Burnet Ave. on Dec. 31. It will continue takeout only until then. After that, he said, “we’ll wait until things get back to normal.”
That means waiting to reopen until the coronavirus restrictions imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo come to an end. Those rules enforced takeout-only from March to June, then allowed indoor seating up to 50% capacity until a few weeks ago.
That’s when Cuomo, citing spikes in local coronavirus infections, put the city and some parts of Onondaga County into a an “orange zone,” which prohibits indoor dining.
While Shifty’s made the takeout-only model work last spring, this time it was different, Schultz said. From mid-March to early June, all restaurants were under the same rules.
But with the zones, restaurant face different guidelines depending on their location.
In the orange zone, which includes Syracuse and part of DeWitt and Manlius, there’s no indoor dining. In the yellow zone, which includes much of the northern and western suburbs, indoor dining is allowed with a limit of four to a table.
Other parts of the county aren’t in any zones, although there is a statewide mandatory 10 p.m. closing time.
“The problem is this time we’re competing with places that are open (for indoor dining),” Schultz said. “Just because you can’t come in here, you can go a few miles away and find a place. It’s not making people stay home. It’s just making them go somewhere else.”
Schultz admits it will cost him money to do the temporary closing. But staying open under the current situation “isn’t worth it,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s just not Shifty’s,” he said.
Shifty’s is open for takeout now every day but Tuesday and Wednesday. Its menu features burgers sandwiches and wings, and you can fill a growler of beer to go, too. Schultz suggests customers keep an eye on the bar’s Facebook page for changes.
The Shifty’s location has been a bar since the early 20th century. It was Wyscoki’s Old Corner Tavern until 1969, when new owners took over and called it Shifty’s There have been several owners since then — Ron Schultz took over in 2006.
It became widely known for its wings, pool table (which has been removed for the pandemic) and live music, including a legendary open mic night.
The Shifty’s announcement comes on the same day as another long-time Syracuse bar, Franklin Lunch & Grill on North Salina Street, said it would close. Unlike Shifty’s, the Franklin shutdown is permanent.
“It’s just very hard,” Schultz said. “It’s not going to get easier until this goes away.”
Related:
A landmark Syracuse tavern, one of the city’s oldest, is shutting down for good
Liverpool burger joint to close, a coronavirus victim; last call for the Heart Stopper
Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Don Cazentre write for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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December 08, 2020 at 06:58AM
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Shifty’s, a legendary Syracuse bar, to close until ‘things get back to normal’ - syracuse.com
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