COLUMBIA, S.C. — It's was a busy time Friday for bars and restaurants here in Columbia as they prepared for their guests to ring in the new year.
"This morning the morning staff will get us prepped for tonight so when they come in, they can just be ready in full swing to take on whatever New Year's crowd we get tonight," Hickory Tavern manager Carly Cruz said.
Bartenders were pre-slicing lemons, oranges, and other drink garnishes. They checked and restocked inventory and cleaning glasses. As far as preparing for the influx of people amidst a pandemic, bars are taking precautions.
"Our staff will be all in masks tonight, especially with the number of people. We're still following, we're going to have our max capacity, that's going to be it," Cruz said.
Some bars on Main Street and in the Vista are still waiting on their supply shipments for the night and others are worried about being short staffed.
Over in Lexington, managers are making sure there's enough space for their guests.
"I would say that we have a lot of room to spread out into. We have a whole covered deck with a roof and it's got some vinyl walls that we put up in the winter. So they're up right now in case it gets cold," said Daniel O'Hara, the manager of O'Hara's.
Some restaurants are completely closing down to let their employees have the night off. All in all, it's a busy New Year's Eve.