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John Patrick and Edward Marton have been best friends for years. John was an accountant and Edward a restaurant manager. Both always had a dream of owning and operating a live music and dinner theater style restaurant. After Edward was laid off in early 2020, they decided to take the plunge and purchase the Waterbury Coach House, a historic 82-year-old restaurant in Lakewood, Ohio that specialized in live Jazz entertainment. They borrowed money and invested their life savings into the restaurant and took over the Waterbury on February 15, 2020. They had a vision of brining standup comedy, drag shows and dinner theater to an already successful local Jazz establishment. The grand opening of their new restaurant was set for March 17, 2020 on St. Patrick’s day where local and live Irish music and bands were set to play all day long. Just two days prior on March 15, 2020, the Governor of Ohio closed all bars and restaurants for a planned two week shut down to flatten the curve for a newly forming pandemic which we now know as Covid-19. The grand opening was cancelled, some of the food donated, the draft beer drained and pitched out and the losses quickly started accumulating.
During the last twelve months, John and Edward have struggled to keep their dream alive. The live shows and entertainment were cancelled in 2020 and the restaurant was operated with a limited menu and focused on take out food and beverages trying to minimize losses during the Covid-19 time. However, despite working 70 hours per week each and earning no money along with many friends and family members donating time and key supplies to the Waterbury, losses continued to add up. By years end in 2020, Waterbury had lost $40,000. In January of 2021 with the Covid-19 crisis in decline and the roll out of the vaccine well underway, John and Edward cautiously started small format live entertainment with the goal of reaching a break even sometime in 2021.
On January 7, 2021 Edward and John launched live trivia with a paid DJ to increase sales and work towards bringing back live entertainment. Later that night at 10:15 PM, agents of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Investigative Unit raided the Waterbury and cited John and Edward for having six patrons in the restaurant after 10 PM despite the fact that the doors were closed, the lights were turned off, liquor had stopped being served at 10 PM and the six patrons that were in the bar were contestants of the trivia game who were in the process of receiving their gift certificates for winning the game and paying their bar tabs.
On February 26 and 27 of 2021, John and Edward hosted a reunion and charity fundraiser for the LGBTQ community. The reunion was for former employees and customers of the now closed and famous Bounce night club who were reuniting after 20 years to raise money for the Cleveland LGBTQ center and help John and Edward at the Waterbury. Four of the most famous drag queens from Ohio were booked to host and perform the two-day reunion and charity fundraiser. They raised over $400 for the Cleveland LTBTQ center over the two-day event.
On February 27, 2021 at 8:55 PM (5 minutes prior to start of the event), agents of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Investigative Unit again raided the Waterbury and cited John and Edward for having 20 people seated at the bar with two people standing behind the seated guests waiting to order a drink. All guests and employees that night were properly masked and the two people standing had assigned seats at an adjoining table in the dining room. Also, all guests knew each other as the reunion party was private and required a prior reservation, a paid $10 entrance fee and had to clear a check in process by the door hostess. The total head count each night was well within the Covid-19 seating capacity of the Waterbury. However, the agents cited “insufficient social distancing”.
After receiving two written citations from Ohio Public Safety for “improper conduct and disorderly activity”, and the possibility of a forced closure or loss of liquor license after a third citation, John and Edward are taking no chances and have cancelled all live entertainment until further notice. However due to Covid-19, the hearings for these citations will be months later into 2021 and the losses at Waterbury without having the possibility of having live entertainment continue to mount. With no income for now over 54 weeks, John can no longer afford his apartment and is being forced to move back in with his father. All his furniture is being sold in an upcoming garage sale.
John and Edward need your help to raise money to cover legal fees for the two upcoming hearings at the Ohio Liquor Board, pay fines that will most likely be issued by Ohio Liquor control, pay down the mounting losses at the Waterbury and help cover living expenses for John and Edward to keep going until such time that Covid-19 has ceased, and live entertainment can return the historic 82-year-old Waterbury. Please help and donate to this campaign today so John and Edward can keep the Waterbury alive and continue to offer a safe place for people from all walks of life to meet, eat, drink, laugh and entertain.
Thank you all so much for your help, support and encouragement.
Love
John and Edward
During the last twelve months, John and Edward have struggled to keep their dream alive. The live shows and entertainment were cancelled in 2020 and the restaurant was operated with a limited menu and focused on take out food and beverages trying to minimize losses during the Covid-19 time. However, despite working 70 hours per week each and earning no money along with many friends and family members donating time and key supplies to the Waterbury, losses continued to add up. By years end in 2020, Waterbury had lost $40,000. In January of 2021 with the Covid-19 crisis in decline and the roll out of the vaccine well underway, John and Edward cautiously started small format live entertainment with the goal of reaching a break even sometime in 2021.
On January 7, 2021 Edward and John launched live trivia with a paid DJ to increase sales and work towards bringing back live entertainment. Later that night at 10:15 PM, agents of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Investigative Unit raided the Waterbury and cited John and Edward for having six patrons in the restaurant after 10 PM despite the fact that the doors were closed, the lights were turned off, liquor had stopped being served at 10 PM and the six patrons that were in the bar were contestants of the trivia game who were in the process of receiving their gift certificates for winning the game and paying their bar tabs.
On February 26 and 27 of 2021, John and Edward hosted a reunion and charity fundraiser for the LGBTQ community. The reunion was for former employees and customers of the now closed and famous Bounce night club who were reuniting after 20 years to raise money for the Cleveland LGBTQ center and help John and Edward at the Waterbury. Four of the most famous drag queens from Ohio were booked to host and perform the two-day reunion and charity fundraiser. They raised over $400 for the Cleveland LTBTQ center over the two-day event.
On February 27, 2021 at 8:55 PM (5 minutes prior to start of the event), agents of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Investigative Unit again raided the Waterbury and cited John and Edward for having 20 people seated at the bar with two people standing behind the seated guests waiting to order a drink. All guests and employees that night were properly masked and the two people standing had assigned seats at an adjoining table in the dining room. Also, all guests knew each other as the reunion party was private and required a prior reservation, a paid $10 entrance fee and had to clear a check in process by the door hostess. The total head count each night was well within the Covid-19 seating capacity of the Waterbury. However, the agents cited “insufficient social distancing”.
After receiving two written citations from Ohio Public Safety for “improper conduct and disorderly activity”, and the possibility of a forced closure or loss of liquor license after a third citation, John and Edward are taking no chances and have cancelled all live entertainment until further notice. However due to Covid-19, the hearings for these citations will be months later into 2021 and the losses at Waterbury without having the possibility of having live entertainment continue to mount. With no income for now over 54 weeks, John can no longer afford his apartment and is being forced to move back in with his father. All his furniture is being sold in an upcoming garage sale.
John and Edward need your help to raise money to cover legal fees for the two upcoming hearings at the Ohio Liquor Board, pay fines that will most likely be issued by Ohio Liquor control, pay down the mounting losses at the Waterbury and help cover living expenses for John and Edward to keep going until such time that Covid-19 has ceased, and live entertainment can return the historic 82-year-old Waterbury. Please help and donate to this campaign today so John and Edward can keep the Waterbury alive and continue to offer a safe place for people from all walks of life to meet, eat, drink, laugh and entertain.
Thank you all so much for your help, support and encouragement.
Love
John and Edward