CINCINNATI, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine announced the curfew keeping Ohioans at home from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. has expired, which means one industry that has been greatly affected can return to normal operations.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio’s statewide curfew has expired, allowing bars and restaurants to revert to normal hours

  • Rebel Mettle Brewing is excited to get back to normal operation

  • President and CEO Michael Brown said COVID-19 guidelines will still be in place

  • He expects this to be a huge boost for business

Rebel Mettle Brewery is just five months into its first year as a brewery in a very competitive Cincinnati Market. But that hasn’t stopped the small business from chasing its goals. 

But the statewide curfew added a degree of difficulty. 

Michael Brown is the President and CEO of the brewery located in the heart of downtown. 

“Our only operating table or operating site market is the COVID market,” Brown said. 

Brown said the early closing time caused decreased sales and lost wages, but with the curfew expiring, things are looking up.

“Even the one-hour curfew lift that we had from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. has made a positive impact in our establishment,” he said. 

Operations Manager Greg Goeke said this is going to be a big boost for business. 

“We’re having to struggle for every bit of business that we get in these days,” Goeke said. “So, limiting the hours that we’re able to do that is difficult. So, opening that up really helps out a lot.” 

The brewery will continue to follow all health guidelines until we’re at a safer point in the pandemic. 

Brown said this news is just as important for his employees. 

“Now that we’re opened up a little bit longer, I think it’s a definite reflection of job generation,” Brown said. 

As a business owner, he is an optimist but is also a realist as he knows things could change at any given moment. 

“This is gonna be like a snowball,” Brown said. “We’re not in a sprint as far as the end of COVID as concerned. I think we’re more in a marathon-type scenario. So, it's gonna take those small steps like opening up the curfew and still maintaining the social distancing, and still maintaining the sanitation standards in a controlled environment that’s gonna help that snowball to get larger, and eventually return to some sort of normalcy.”

Rebel Mettle Brewing will resume normal business hours starting Friday. 

DeWine said the health department and the state will continue to monitor the numbers to determine if the curfew will need to be re-enacted.

For more information on the brewery visit their website.