BOSTON — Clubs and bars across the state of Massachusetts are gearing up for a full reopening in less than two weeks. Venues that have sat frozen for more than 14 months are now scrambling to welcome the crowds back under such short notice.
The May 29 reopening date announced on Monday by Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Kim Janey came as a pleasant surprise to the nightlife industry. The previous full reopening date in the City of Boston was August 22.
One of the biggest obstacles will be finding staff in time.
“We have to hire 500-plus people in the next 10-plus days,” said Randy Greenstein, co-owner of Big Night Entertainment.
Greenstein, who co-owns and operates 10 clubs and bars in Boston, encourages people to apply as soon as possible.
“Don’t wait until the end of the summer. The job might not be there. The people who come back first are going to [be] locked and loaded and are going to make a lot of money,” Greenstein said.
Greenstein believes the demand is there for a busy summer without any restrictions. He’s planning on keeping most establishments open until 2 a.m. and said the only ones who will have to wear masks are staff members who aren’t vaccinated.
>>>PREVIOUS: Gov. Baker says state’s mask mandate, capacity limits end effective May 29
“The venues are going to be back and roaring and raging,” Greenstein explained. “People are ready to go back to pre-pandemic mentality.”
Greenstein and others in the nightlife industry Boston 25 News spoke with on Monday had no plans of requiring that customers show proof of vaccination.
“It would be tricky to do that because you would turn off a lot of people, and it would slow down the process of getting people inside,” said Jamison LaGuardia, vice president of Sales, Operations and Events at Royale Entertainment Group.
LaGuardia, who’s affiliated with popular nightclubs across Boston, said he’s hoping to pull off all the logistics, hiring and planning ahead of May 29.
“If it was up to me, I’d say, 100% we will find a way to pull it off. A lot of people are involved, and we have a lot of venues,” LaGuardia explained. “We’re going to try our darndest to make sure it happens.”
Those who are interested in applying at Royale Entertainment Group can email their information and resumes to: info@royaleboston.com Those who are interested in applying at Big Night Entertainment can apply on the company’s website: www.bignightcareers.com
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