Winstons Beach Club has been serving up nightly live music in San Diego's Ocean Beach for nearly 40 years, but the historic venue lit up social media with the announcement it would be closing, possibly indefinitely, after this weekend.
"This kind of announcement is not easy, especially during a stressful time like this," posted Winston's ownership to the company's social media channels. "And since there is no way to sugarcoat it, here goes: Sadly, after this weekend, Winstons is closing its doors indefinitely…until SOMETHING gives. Our last day open for business will be this Sunday, 11/8, until we are able to either get another loan from Washington, a grant OR if live music starts up again, and we don’t see any of those things happening anytime soon. Of course, this will also be our last football Sunday at Winstons. Let’s get together and scream at the TVs."
Winston’s Beach Club was founded by William H. Winston in 1986 and has been a destination for live music and open mic nights. The bar has been owned by Scott Slaga and Michael Stifano since 1998. Famous bands and musicians that have performed on the Winstons stage over the years include Iration, KRS-One, Soja, Steel Pulse, Xavier Rudd, The Expendables, and many more.
Although Winstons ownership hopes its impending closure will not be permanent, it remains a dark and uncertain times for bars and restaurants around San Diego and the rest of the country. Many notable San Diego hospitality destinations have already permanently shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, including the entire San Diego-based
Souplantation chain after 42 years in business,
Crab Catcher in La Jolla after four decades,
Searsucker in the Gaslamp after a 10 year run,
Donovan's Steak & Chophouse after 12 years,
Whisknladle in La Jolla after a dozen years,
The Oceanaire Seafood Room in the Gaslamp after 15 years,
The Dubliner on 4th Avenue after almost 20 years, and 9 year-old
Tiger! Tiger! Tavern in North Park. It is also expected that due to rising coronavirus rates around the county, next week
San Diego will be forced to move into California's most restrictive purple tier of pandemic precautions. This will result in at least a three week ban on conducting business operations indoors at bars, restaurants, gyms and more.
