Beleaguered Washington, D.C., restaurant owner Eric Flannery finally has a small reason to celebrate. On St. Patrick’s Day, Flannery was told he can finally serve liquor again at his restaurant, The Big Board.
The Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based think tank representing Flannery in an ongoing lawsuit against the D.C. city government, announced that the city had reinstated Flannery’s liquor license. The announcement came during a Wednesday hearing before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and went into effect that morning.
The renewal of his liquor license, combined with the reinstatement of The Big Board’s operating license on March 1, means that Flannery is no longer barred from opening his doors to customers in the near future.
In a press release on its website, Buckeye Institute President Robert Alt said, “Convincing D.C. to reinstate The Big Board’s liquor license was the final step in allowing Mr. Flannery to reopen his business and get back to what he does best—serving great burgers and beer in a city he loves.“
He added, “Mr. Flannery’s restaurant never should have been shut down in the first place, and his case shows the devastating impact that government overreach has upon small businesses—owners and employees alike.”
Alt raises a great point. Even though D.C.’s elected officials backed off from their COVID-19 overreach and reinstated Flannery’s various licenses, that doesn’t change the fact that on Feb. 3, the government forced The Big Board to close its doors for nearly six weeks.
Even during normal times, a restaurant that couldn’t serve customers for that long would already be in dire straits. But Flannery was already recovering from the pandemic, and needed all the money and resources he could get just to stay afloat.
In an interview with The Daily Signal, Alt revealed that Flannery “had already lost his life savings because of the burdens put in place by previous regulations and general issues arising from the pandemic.”
Alt added, “And then to have his local bar closed for six weeks because he had the audacity to say that everyone was welcome in the face of the vaccine requirement, it really adds insult to injury.”
Flannery’s troubles began Jan. 13 when The Big Board tweeted suggesting it would ignore an order from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to refuse service to unvaccinated people. Soon afterward, inspectors flocked to the restaurant and issued a number of warnings, fines, and citations culminating in the business’ closure.
A month later, on Feb. 14, the day before Bowser’s mandate was scheduled to begin requiring restaurant and bar owners to check that patrons had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the mayor removed the mandate.
For The Big Board, nothing changed. The city refused to allow Flannery to reopen.
But even though legally he can open for business again, Flannery won’t be able to start slinging burgers any time soon. He still needs to restock his eatery. Getting new food, liquor, and staff all costs time and money that Flannery just doesn’t have.
Still, it’s important to take those small victories where they come.
Reflecting on Flannery’s case, Alt said, “I think it goes to the importance of individuals who are willing to take a stand for what they believe in. And Eric is that sort of person. He had the courage to go ahead and say, ‘I am going to.’”
The Big Board was the only restaurant forced to close its doors during Bowser’s monthlong experiment in tyranny. That was because Flannery was the only business owner who openly and boldly defied the mandate.
It’s not hard to imagine a world where Flannery was like one of the many D.C. business owners who grudgingly or otherwise accepted the mandate. In that scenario, the D.C. government might well have pushed forward in forcing residents to hand over their personal medical information to engage in everyday life.
But Flannery didn’t. And his victory proves that when we stand up to tyranny, we can win.
So, let’s raise a glass to The Big Board and Flannery—and to freedom.
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