MISSOULA — St Patrick's Day last year meant the start of closures and lost revenue for many local businesses; On March 16th, 2020, The Stone of Accord in Missoula closed its doors. "We opened on the 17th for to-go orders only, and we were closed until we were allowed to reopen in April," manager Coral Meyers said.
She said it was a difficult decision for the Irish restaurant. "It is one of our busiest days, it's one of our most lucrative days."
Especially since they closed ahead of orders from health authorities: "We didn't want to be the epicenter of a Covid outbreak in Montana."
This year, they're back, and employees spent Wednesday morning moving tables apart and prepping for a rush.
The restaurant always does an Irish giveaway to celebrate the holiday - and now there's even more prizes with a raffle.
"I just had so much stuff because of last year," Meyers said.
This year Stone of Accord is also doing drive-through pickup for customers that aren't quite ready to get back in the restaurant.
"Our regular customers have become friends and family, getting to see them walk through the door, even though we don't get to see them smiling all the time with the mask, it's just great to see everyone coming in and being more comfortable in the restaurant setting," Meyers said.
