Save Old Capital Tavern and Other Bars Too

I am the owner manager at Old Capital Tavern in Sauk Rapids Minnesota. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we have been forced to close to the public and only offer take out service to our customers. This has come at a great expense not only to the business but also the 22 employees that have been laid off. We have waited patiently for over 2 months for Governor Tim Walz to reopen bars and restaurants this has yet to occur and our bills and debts just keep piling up. There have been many programs sold to the public about bailing out small businesses but none have offered any type of relief for the situation that we are in. That means we need your help.  June 1st we will be allowed to reopen but only for outdoor dining. Many of you know our restaurant is quite small and have a very limited area for outdoor seating. The area is so small that opening with just our current patio would be detrimental to our business. The City of Sauk Rapids has agreed to allow us to use a portion of the street next to our building to expand our outdoor seating area so that we will have a chance to survive. Unfortunately to do this will cost us a significant amount of money that we do not have. We are looking to raise money to purchase outdoor furniture, a canopy for inclimate weather, outdoor lighting and the barricades necessary to provide a safe environment for our customers. In addition to the physical seating area we are also required to have personal protection equipment for our staff. Any additional money will be used to pay off the overwhelming debt we are accruing as the shutdown continues. If we exceed our goal we would like to do some general maintenance and up keep to our facility.   We really want to open for our customers and be able to provide a clean safe environment for them and our staff. Please help us make it through this unrelenting time and donate what you can to help.  If we meet our goal it will ensure that our employees and their families will have a job to return to and a restaurant that everyone in the area can enjoy for a long time to come.  As a bonus if we exceed our goal we would love to invite all of our contributors to a special customer appreciation event in your honor featuring amazing food, beer and cocktails. Please help us in any way that you can every dollar will help. I've spent the last couple days talking to other Bar and Restaurant owners and really want to help as many of them as possible. If we can exceed our goal I would like to give as many bars as possible money to help them adjust to outdoor dining as well. Many of them are only days from closing with nowhere to turn for money. Lets give everyone a chance to survive. To do that we need to blow this goal out of the water. Share this to everyone you know.