Better luck for Santa Barbara bars this St. Patrick’s Day

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Last year, several Santa Barbara bar owners came together at the last minute to call off St. Patrick's Day celebrations as the coronavirus pandemic began to shut down everyday activities.

It was a brutal blow for the businesses on one of the most lively and profitable days of the year.

“Unfortunately we had our fridges full of corned beef and cabbage Guinness,” Dargan’s Irish Pub owner Paul Dargan said of last year’s disaster. “So we ended up giving away about $10,000 worth of product that day.”

This year, green-clad groups returned to bars in order to celebrate in a pandemic-modified way.

Patrons still must order food with every alcohol purchase and must stay at their table, but bar owners are happy to bring in at least some business this year.

St. Patrick's Day also coincides with Santa Barbara County officially moving into the state's less restrictive Red Tier, allowing bars and pubs to open indoor dining space at 25 percent capacity.

At Dargan's, that change doubles the overall capacity to about 150 people.

“We’re considering this a ‘Baby St. Patrick’s Day,’” Dargan said. “We’re still in the middle of a pandemic. We’re coming out of it. But we gotta still be careful. So we’ll be very safe today, but still have fun.”

Dargan's had to bring back some former staff members to work Wednesday in order to handle the extra customers.

Live outdoor music greeted the guests at The Red Piano on State Street, which also added more staff members on Wednesday to handle the additional customers and space inside.

There is more optimism this year compared to last, but there is also uncertainty.

“We’re still a little on guard like, ‘Are people still gonna come out for it or are people still afraid?'” Red Piano co-owner Jason Jones said. “Maybe this is keeping people in because they don’t want to be around big crowds. And I totally get it.”

Many are still waiting to get vaccinated before returning to bars. The smaller crowds, masked employees and new rules made for more subdued celebrations compared to 2019.

Wednesday was a step in the right direction, but business owners are still hoping for their luck to change.

“After a year of this, I mean, now we’re just tired, you know?” Jones said. “Still mentally exhausting to try and figure out ways to reinvent ourselves.”