Rick's Pub & Grub in Chandler Ordered to Close Down by the State

Add another local watering hole to the list of bars shuttered by the ADHS.

September 9, 2020

Image: The exterior of Rick's Pub & Grub in Chandler.

The exterior of Rick's Pub & Grub in Chandler. Rick's Pub & Grub's Facebook

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Another local watering hole has joined the list of metro Phoenix bars closed down by the Arizona Department of Health Services over COVID-19 safety concerns.

Chandler sports bar Rick’s & Pub Grub was ordered shut on Monday, September 7, after ADHS determined the business was not following the state's reopening guidelines.

The business allegedly violated rules limiting its capacity and requiring social distancing among patrons, according to ADHS officials. Both rules were mandated by Executive Order 2020-47 and Emergency Measure 2020-02, which were issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in July to slow the spread of COVID-19 and outlined certain conditions bars must follow in order to reopen.

ADHS reportedly found that Rick’s was operating above a 50 percent capacity and was “jeopardizing the health, safety, and welfare of the public.” According to local food blog Mouth by Southwest, the bar’s social media featured photos of large crowds over Labor Day weekend.

Messages left by Phoenix New Times seeking comment from the owners of Rick’s & Pub Grub were not returned Tuesday.

Rick’s is the fourth local bar to be ordered closed by ADHS over COVID-19 guidelines. In late August, the agency shut down GLOW Shots & Cocktails in Tempe and Scottsdale’s Bottled Blonde and Casa Amigos for failing to limit capacity and enforcing social distancing.

As with those three bars, Rick's liquor license has been suspended. All four bars will remain closed until they are given permission to reopen by ADHS.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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