Deschutes Brewery’s pub reopening soon, at 50% of normal operations

Pioneering brew pub has been closed for the last two months

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- For the last two months, the Deschutes Brewery brewpub in downtown Bend has been completely closed. The pub has not offered delivery or takeout options, as many others did.

Now, as Bend's very first brewpub prepares to reopen on June 1, it will only be with half of its usual employees. While the pub was closed, it laid off a number of workers.

Tim Casinelli, the pub's general manager, said Wednesday they stayed closed for safety precautions, which he called a hard decision.

"It's been very difficult," Casinelli said. "And going into summer is when we really make money. And when we can't have an hour and a half wait and a line out the door and the bar packed, it is going to be very different, business-wise."

It wont only be the amount of business, either. The pub will be sporting a semi-updated look, with hand sanitizers on the wall, employees wearing masks and social distance seating.

"The bar was all open seating," Casinelli said. "Kind of a free-for-all before. You could stand up at the bar and stand behind somebody and get a beer. Now, you can't even sit at a bar."

While the pub was closed, Casinelli's staff was able to deep-clean the whole restaurant, while making some small improvements.