As COVID-19 case counts continue to ebb and flow, returning to life as we knew it pre-pandemic seems practically impossible. Still, it’s inarguable that we’re in a better spot than the stay-at-home nightmare experienced in the spring. Business and restaurants have adopted health and safety measures, and in many cases, completely revamped their operations to provide some sense of normalcy for community members.
One such example is Parx Casino’s Liberty Bell Beer Garden – an indoor and outdoor facility that changed up its entire menu and seating setup to provide the safest possible experience for patrons.
“We’ve taken what was the Liberty Bell Gastropub menu and are serving it in the Beer Garden. As opposed to being a bar/snack menu pre-COVID, it’s now the full Gastropub menu,” said Parx Casino’s chief marketing officer Marc Oppenheimer. “As restrictions become a little looser and as we see more need, we will reopen the Gastropub. It’s just a matter of, does it happen in the next few weeks or does it happen closer to the end of the year. I would expect that it will be reopened before the end of the year.”
At the Beer Garden, located behind the Gastropub, guests can enjoy a rotating selection of all-American craft beers, wines and specialty cocktails; chef-inspired dishes and pub fare; and a roomy 7,600-square-foot space, which includes 10-foot-long fire pits.
The Beer Garden boasts a retractable roof and two retractable walls, which can be opened and closed depending on the weather, allowing it to transition between an indoor and outdoor space, or both simultaneously.
“We’ve always had that option,” Oppenheimer said of the retractable features. “It was made to be potentially an outdoor space. The major adjustment that we’ve made is changing up the setup of it furniture-wise. Whereas it used to be very much a beer garden-type setup with big communal tables and lots of space to walk around, now it’s individual two-tops and four-tops that are socially-distant from each other. No more communal tables. It’s set up now to operate more like a restaurant space rather than a bar space.”
According to Oppenheimer, the local response to the adapted Beer Garden has been great.
“On weekends, we’ve been seeing 60- and 90-minute waits at peak times,” he said, adding that reservations are available through OpenTable. “We’re open Wednesday through Sunday. We open at 5 p.m., except for Sundays, we open at noon in time for football.”
On game days, there are two giant LED TV walls in the Beer Garden, as well as sports-betting kiosks for those who want to place a wager.
Additionally, Parx Casino’s Sportsbook is open, where sports lovers can watch dozens of games at once on a 156-foot-long screen. This space, located right next to the Beer Garden, has every other chair blocked off to ensure social distancing.
“It’s been pretty busy for NFL Sundays and college football Saturdays,” said Oppenheimer. “You can come in and place a bet at a teller or kiosk, sit and watch the game. You can’t just go in and stand around, and can’t mingle at the bar, which is closed.”
One of the only sections of Parx that has yet to reopen is the Xcite Center, which has welcomed high-profile artists like Rascal Flatts and Daughtry over the last two years.
“We’re hoping to be able to bring it back in the first half of next year. We don’t know exactly when yet,” said Oppenheimer. “We’re going to wait until restrictions on event gathering are removed. We don’t want to operate that space if there’s any type of health or safety risk of doing that.”
Parx Casino reopened at limited capacity at the end of June, with slot machines and table games reconfigured to promote safety and social distancing. Visitors are screened by a security officer upon entry, and must wear an approved mask at all times while on the property. If a guest does not have a clean mask, Parx will provide one. Hand sanitizer dispensers have been placed at all entrances, and high-touch areas like door handles, ATMs, kiosks and gaming machines are cleaned and sanitized frequently.
Employers also undergo temperature checks when they report to work – those with a temperature at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be denied entry. They’ve been instructed to wash their hands (or use hand sanitizer if a sink is not available) every 60 minutes and after using the restroom, touching their face, sneezing, eating or drinking, entering the gaming floor, and before and after starting their shift.
“We’re more than happy that we’re back open,” said Oppenheimer. “We feel very comfortable with how business is right now and all the precautions that are in place. We know that people want something to do, and if they have an interest in any type of casino gaming, be it slots, tables, sportsbook, we would be more than happy to have them come check us out.”
The casino, located at 2999 Street Road, Bensalem, is open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 a.m.; and open on a 24-hour basis Friday, at 9 a.m., through Monday, at 3 a.m. Ongoing cleaning occurs during operating hours. Visit parxcasino.com for more information.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
