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The end of Coogan's
The coronavirus pandemic has forced thousands of bars and restaurants in New York to close. The beloved Coogan's in Washington Heights will not reopen.
NEW YORK - 35 years ago, Peter Walsh and two partners opened Coogan's in Washington Heights because they felt the bar—with hospitals, a police precinct, and Columbia University nearby—could fill a void.
"It was the worst neighborhood in all of New York City to open up a new business, so we thought it was perfect," Walsh said.
He said it was one of the most integrated bars in the city with people from all ethnicities and backgrounds congregating there.
But on Monday, Coogan's announced on its Facebook page that COVID-19 had forced it to close—but not just temporarily.
Walsh said that a closed restaurant still spends money on insurance, Wi-Fi, television, electricity for the machines it leaves on, and catering trucks and has no income to help pay it off.
For Coogan's, that amounted to $25,000 a month.
So Coogan's will not reopen. The news is devastating to generations of patrons.
"You can't bleed if you don't have blood and we just ran dry," Walsh said.
Walsh says he will work to try to find jobs for his 40 employees.