High Score Saloon Requiring Customer Masks Starting July 11th

Wearing a face mask in public has become a hot button issue lately, especially as states, including Kentucky, have started mandating residents wear them when out in public. While no such order exists in Indiana yet, some local governments have implemented a mask policy in their communities, including Marion County which is home to the city of Indianapolis. Members of the Evansville City Council proposed the idea of a citywide ordinance earlier this week, and will vote on the proposal during Monday's meeting, but one popular bar isn't waiting to see if the proposal passes. They've decided to implement their own policy.

High Score Saloon on the Main Street Walkway in downtown Evansville posted on their Facebook page Friday afternoon they weren't going to wait around for local leaders to make the decision, and beginning tomorrow (Saturday, July 11th, 2020), it will be mandatory that customers wear a mask at all times while inside their establishment. The only exception will be when you're taking a sip of your drink, or taking a bite of food. The bar's owners had made a similar post on Monday, however that statement said masks only needed to be worn when you were approaching the bar to order a drink, sitting at the end of the bar to play the Nintendo 64 console, or asking "the bartender why Secret of Mana is such a kick-ass game." That post also said they would continue to monitor the daily COVID-19 reports from local and state health departments, and would make masks mandatory if necessary. After two record-setting days for positive results in the County, they decided it was necessary.

Today's announcement didn't mince words. Whoever wrote it noted they understood the policy could, and may likely, mean fewer customers in the bar, and therefore less revenue since most other bars and restaurants in the area have not implemented a similar policy. After acknowledging that possibility, the owners said they, "don't really care." Read the full statement below.

In the event the Facebook post isn't showing up for you, the full statement reads as follows:

It’s frustrating to be a small business and hamstring yourself for the good of your employees and regular customers. Our local administration needs to make some swift movements on their city wide protocols to both protect residents as well as level the playing field. We acknowledge by doing this we will see a significant drop in revenue, as we compete with those not instilling additional regulations on you.

And we don’t really care.

Beginning Saturday July 11th you’ll be required to wear a mask while inside of our arcade. If your lips aren’t pressed against a glass, taking a chomp out of a pizza or sipping a soda? You’ve got to have a mask. If our employees are tough enough to sling brews, cook food and clean spills all while wearing a mask to protect you? You gotta wear one to protect them, too.

That’s how it’s gotta be, y’all. It’s a tough call to make financially but morally it’s a no brainer. I’m sorry we didn’t stand up and demand this sooner. We were hoping it would be a wide spread mandate so we wouldn’t be forced to look like the bad guys but business isn’t always just business. Sometimes you’ve got to step outside of the books and be human.

7/11/2020 wear a mask or go elsewhere. We love y’all and that’s why we gotta act. We put ourselves out there to be the first bad guys and we hope some other establishments will do the same.

Whether you agree or not, you have to give them props for standing up for what they believe regardless of what the outcome on their business, and their livelihoods, may be.

[Source: High Score Saloon on Facebook]