On Monday evening (March 16), when most Americans were starting to seriously worry about how to be socially distant but still earn enough money to support their families as the coronoavirus was causing a very real panic, Dierks Bentley did this: He shut down his bar at 400 Broadway in downtown Nashville.
#nashville pic.twitter.com/IxPchfILi3
— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) March 16, 2020
“Just gave last call at Whiskey Row Nashville as we close the doors for a while,” Bentley tweeted. “My heart goes out to all the guys/girls down on Lower Broad. Feels like yesterday that was me down there working for tips.”
He added that he was giving each of the bar’s 90 hourly employees $1,000 to help in the short run as they try to get a handle on the situation. Then he encouraged all the bar owners up and down Broadway to do the same, and to take care of their bartenders, bar backs, waitresses, security, dishwashers and more.
“Lower Broadway is the heartbeat of Nashville,” he said. “Let’s make sure we help the folks that help make the music happen.”
Stay tuned for more details on additional bar and restaurant closings (and re-openings).