BOUNCING BOUNCING OUNCING BACK SUCCESS
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De Vere’s Irish Pub, welcome home, again Left, Brooke Lewis, waitress, carries a tray full of drinks from the bar at de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis, on Sunday, July 25. Below, Manager Kerry Smith puts finishing touches on plated food while Head Chef Anthony Grant checks food preparation during the lunch rush in the kitchen. VICTORIA SHERIDAN/ ENTERPRISE PHOTO
BY LAUREN KEENE Enterprise staff writer Henry de Vere White is ready to welcome people home again. “Home,” in this case, is De Vere’s Irish Pub, the popular gathering spot at 217 E St. that fully shuttered for nearly nine months during the Covid-19 pandemic. It launched a soft opening in early June. “We’re just trying not to bombard our staff, and give people the chance to make the space their own,” de Vere White, the pub’s owner, said of his newly hired employees, many of whom are new to the restaurant scene. It was a scene struck hard in 2020, particularly in the early days as eateries that no longer could serve customers indoors scrambled for backup plans. De Vere’s shut down in mid-March as coronavirus tightened its grip across the country. It reopened on Fridays and Saturdays in May 2020 to offer curbside service, followed by the creation of an expanded patio in June for drinks and takeout meals. Poor air quality from regional wildfires, however, put a damper on
keep the location afloat through rent forgiveness and other measures that de Vere White called one of the keys to the pub’s success — along with community support and managers and staff who “helped us to creatively navigate Covid’s ups and downs.” Today, the newest challenge is fully
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Want your favorite stores and restaurants to survive? Stay local
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very Sunday, I offer insight on businesses changes in the area. Is that restaurant closed? Why? What will take its place? These are questions I asked 20 years ago as managing editor of The Enterprise. I continue today because we’re all still curious, and these small, independent businesses need our support. We’re lucky in Davis to have a thriving downtown and residents who understand the importance of shopping locally. This column would not be possible in Roseville, which is filled with chain retailers. I can call a landlord or merchant and they’ll probably talk to me. When I try to contact most large companies about one of their stores, I’m lucky if I get a canned response a week later, with an unusable quote full of corporate speak. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, tracking local business Comings & Goings became extra challenging. I started a public spreadsheet (link below) so I could remember the last time I checked on a business, and where I found the information. Sixteen months later, more than two dozen businesses have closed for good. There’s no doubt that list will grow, as stimulus funds wane. Many merchants and restaurant owners hang hopes on the fall, when UC Davis students return to in-person classes. That September influx is crucial this year both as an economic driver and to boost the available employment pool. Below, I’ve compiled lists of Davis businesses that have closed or opened in the last 16 months, as well as ones that are coming soon. You can do your part by continuing to support small and local businesses, and avoiding delivery apps that pinch profits from proprietors.
Gone for good Too many Davis restaurants permanently closed since the pandemic began: Barista Brew, Bistro 33, BurgerIM, Chickpeas Kitchen Davis, China Bistro, City Hall Tavern, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Extreme Pizza, KetMoRee, La Piñata Mexican Grill, On Tap, Ramen Hook, Round Table Pizza, Starbuck’s Coffee in University Mall and Taste of Thai. Davis retail and service businesses closures include: A’bout with Hair, B&L Bike Shop, Bernard’s Tire, Cost Plus World Market, Davis Sport Shop, Davis Welcome Service, Get Fit Davis (GFD Sport remains open), GNC, Partners in Learning, Pawsitive Groomers, Personalized Pilates, Restler Brothers Barber Shop, and Yeti Mini Mart.
Brooke Lewis takes lunch orders from UC Davis students, from left, Marisa Cardoza, Kaajal Tandel, Rane Zilnel, Hailey Dilton and Sammi Ross, at de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis, on Sunday, July 25.
Temporary closures It’s still unclear if Delta of Venus or Uncle Vito’s will return. But, hey, Sam’s Mediterranean Cuisine and D Street Steakhouse reopened in July after being closed for 16 months.
VICTORIA SHERIDAN/ ENTERPRISE PHOTO
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that venture. By August, de Vere White made the decision to close, telling Wendy Weitzel, The Davis Enterprise’s “Comings & Goings” columnist, that a pub atmosphere was not conducive to sidewalk service. With no revenue coming in, De Vere’s landlord group “was truly a partner,” working with the owners to
WENDY WEITZEL/COURTESY PHOTO
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