Bar That Defied Shut-Down Order Has Lost Its Liquor License

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota restaurant that continued to host dine-in service in defiance of Gov. Tim Walz’s coronavirus order has temporarily lost its liquor license.

State officials suspended the license Sunday for the Boardwalk Bar & Grill in East Grand Forks. The suspension comes just days after a Polk County court closed the bar and restaurant to in-person dining, the Star Tribune reported.

Judge Corey Harbott on Friday granted the attorney general’s motion for a temporary restraining order to shut down dine-in service.

Just a day before, the state Department of Health officials served the bar with a cease-and-desist letter.

The governor’s executive order closes bars and restaurants to in-person dining in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A group called ReOpen Minnesota has expressed support for the owner of the Boardwalk. The group’s Facebook page includes a plan for business owners to reopen starting Wednesday. ReOpen Minnesota says more than 200 business owners have committed to reopening this week.

Walz’s four-week executive order is set to expire on Friday.