Edwards Cripples Louisiana Bars Further With New Restrictions

The governor has doubled-down in his war against bars in our state this week, with more restrictions that will lead many businesses to make incredibly difficult decisions.

Those decisions are already being made here in Shreveport, as several bars will have to completely alter their business model, or close-up-shop, both of which will have dire consequences. This new round of restrictions was a surprise to me, not just the restrictions themselves, but how quietly they were rolled out. Generally, when the state has made/added/altered restrictions, they have been sent to media outlets via press release and also shared publicly. These new restrictions for bars to follow, however, we're quietly given to the bars themselves.

In fact, I heard about the restrictions when a local bar manager called and asked me why local media wasn't reporting on them. My answer was short and to-the-point: What restrictions??

He then sent me the advisory letter, sent to all bar/restaurant permit holders in the state. The letter encourages the bars to essentially know the latest rules and restrictions before proceeding.

One restriction that was included in the letter has sent several local-area bar owners to the drawing board. That restriction would be the ban of all bar games. Those games include pool, darts, shuffleboard, cornhole, ect.

The anonymous bar manager I spoke of earlier also shared that upon receiving the letter, he then had to lay off his entire staff , as they would not be able to financially survive without bar games.

You can see the full letter below.