Denese Smith

Review of Old Republic Bar

This might be the first time I have ever posted a ...

This might be the first time I have ever posted a negative review about a business, but it is warranted under the circumstances. We are in the middle of a pandemic, a lockdown and surge in Illinois and around the world. We have heard for over 9 months how deadly this virus is. I went to this place last Friday evening to meet my family for dinner. We knew they had outdoor tents and were seating people there. Upon my arrival, I noticed a group of people in the dining room and employees not social distancing. Being in healthcare, you notice these things immediately. I thought I would wait for my family and decide what to do. I sat in the outdoor tent area where I further observed, waitresses and waiters either not wearing their mask over their noses, not at all or pulling them down to talk. It honestly caused me to panic a bit, I know how even under the most strict precautions, people are getting exposed, getting sick and dying. I decided to leave and went to the hostess and asked for the manager. While standing there, I saw at least one person at the bar with no mask at all. The manager finally came over, he had been standing by the bar and intentionally made me wait. I told him I was very upset to see the blatant disregard for the safety of the patrons and staff. He wanted to usher me out and didn't have any interest in why I was concerned. I did raise my voice at that point. In fact, his attitude left a lot to be desired. He had no intentions of making changes, showing concern or even acknowledging the obvious. At that point, I told him I would be reporting the establishment to the property authorities and they would likely get investigated. What angers me about this, is the needless threat posed to people in the establishment, the lack of concern for spreading the virus and the many people/businesses that have done the right thing and been adversely affected by the irresponsibility/stupidity of places such as this. I think if you eat or drink at Republic, South Elgin, you're going to get more than you bargained for. Let's face it, if they can't observe simple guidelines during a pandemic to save lives, what else are they not doing?