Daniel Cook says it鈥檚 a happy ending for him and his staff, now that his Surrey-area pub is set to reopen after an insurance-costs crisis nearly forced the place to close forever.

The doors to his will reopen at noon Wednesday (June 24) following a nerve-racking three months of COVID-related shutdown.

The mid-spring timing of a liability-insurance renewal was also cause for stress for him and his bar staff.

鈥淪ome of the insurance companies wanted 10 times what my rate was last year,鈥� said Cook, who has operated Donegal鈥檚 for close to 14 years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just us, it鈥檚 happening to other bar owners,鈥� Cook added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just one more thing, because we鈥檝e been closed for several months, we鈥檙e coming back in a down market at half capacity because of physical distancing, and we won鈥檛 be doing near the volume we were doing before. Our insurance rates were already high, and now it鈥檚 going up significantly. It鈥檚 a double whammy.鈥�

Cook has chronicled his plight in , including some good news on Friday (June 19): A reasonable insurance rate had been secured for the bar to reopen.

鈥淢y new rate is triple last year鈥檚,鈥� Cook told the Now-Leader. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be painful but it was literally the only other option I had, so it was that or close.鈥�

An earlier quote was for $70,000, Cook said, with a $10,000 deductible for a claim.

鈥淚鈥檝e heard of one bar owner getting a quote of $100,000,鈥� Cook said, 鈥渁nd another, the rate went from $20,000 to $60,000 for a year.

鈥淚t was all a shock to me, how much insurance costs had risen,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t used to be a soft market with lots of vendors, lots of competition for insurance business, but then in 2018 the market shifted and they were getting tight about who they were looking at. There鈥檚 a much smaller market for insurance companies that will even touch hospitality, and most of them won鈥檛 do bars and pubs. It鈥檚 a huge issue, and it started becoming an issue even before COVID.鈥�

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Meantime, some Donegal鈥檚 regulars launched an to help Cook pay mounting bills.

鈥淒onegal鈥檚 has given so much to this community, and to live music, we wanted to try to help them to be able to reopen, and continue that work,鈥� says .

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During the pandemic-related shutdown since mid-March, Cook went to work on renovations at Donegal鈥檚, including polishing brass, new paint, lighting upgrades and some new washroom stalls.

For now, the pub operates with limited hours and plans to reintroduce live music at a later date.

鈥淲e will be working with local health officers, our staff, and some trusted musicians to formulate a plan, and to make sure that when we do (bring back live music), we can ensure that it is done right,鈥� .

鈥淵es, I鈥檓 anxious to start getting those sales up, it鈥檚 been three months of no income, and the natural inclination is to ramp up business as fast as we can,鈥� Cook added. 鈥淏ut I believe that to be shortsighted, and potentially harmful. We will not be responsible for taking risks that could cause an outbreak just to make a few bucks; the lives of our community mean more than that, we will find a way to do it better.鈥�

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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