In late 2020, the Rose celebrated its tenth anniversary in South Park, an impressive milestone for any restaurant or bar let alone one reached during an overwhelmingly terrible year for the hospitality industry. Near the start of the pandemic, after temporarily closing the wine bar, co-founder Chelsea Coleman documented her fears for the Rose’s future in an essay for Eater, writing about the particularly vulnerable state of small, independently-run businesses like hers.
Through the stops and starts, the Rose hung on, and just finally resumed indoor operations on May 1; Coleman says she delayed reopening indoors until all her employees had reached their two-week post-vaccination threshold.
You donât need to be begged or cajoled anymore. You get it. Support local restaurants, especially now with another godforsaken shutdown and autumn putting a damper on outdoor dining even when it is allowed to return. Earlier in the week, I suggested five local spots to order takeout from. Today, since the weekend is nigh (honestly, who needs a weekend as an excuse to drink anymore?), it would be good-neighborly and supportive ifâinstead of buying alcohol from Costco or BevMo or the grocery storeâyou buy it from a local shop or restaurant or distiller. Nothing against the big-box retailers. Theyâve been saviors and saints during all this. But even theyâd tell you: Theyâre doing just fine. Support your local imbiberies.Â