Myrtle Beach spot joins growing list of restaurants closing due to positive COVID-19 tests
A more than three-decade old Myrtle Beach restaurant is now among such businesses that are temporarily halting operations because of complications with the coronavirus.
Flamingo Grill announced Saturday afternoon that “COVID-19 will shut us down for a while,” stating in a Facebook post that an employee who fell ill tested positive for the virus.
“Until the entire staff has been tested and feeling healthy and comfortable, we’ll play it safe for a while,” the Facebook post states.
Three other Grand Strand restaurants announced via Facebook on Friday that they were temporarily closing for the same reason, and another one was added to the list Saturday. Oscar’s Food & Spirits, Greg Norman Australian Grille, Rockefellers Raw Bar and Molly Darcy’s On The Beach — all in North Myrtle Beach — each announced on social media Friday that they were temporarily closing for COVID-19 precautions.
Both Oscar’s and Greg Norman Australian Grille stated they had an employee test positive for coronavirus, and Molly Darcy’s stated it had two employees test positive. Rockefellers did not indicate whether or not it had a positive test but put out the following statement:
“We care about the safety of our patrons and locals. We are choosing to close for a few days to test our employees and make sure we are healthy for the people we love! We will be back soon and we appreciate all of the love and support that surrounds us!” the restaurant stated on Facebook.
Oscar’s and Molly Darcy’s stated on social media that they will not reopen until the whole restaurant is cleaned and all employees have been tested and come back negative for COVID-19. Greg Norman Australian Grille stated via Facebook that it will provide updates on an eventual reopening.
“We appreciate your understanding and will continue to keep everyone updated on our reopening. Be safe and look forward to seeing you soon,” Greg Norman Australian Grille stated.
Flamingo Grill partner Dino Thompson stated that the restaurant reopened in hopes of bringing some familiarity among the disruption COVID-19 has brought to everyone, noting that it wasn’t about making money.
“We reopened to restore some normalcy to our broken lifestyles and get our wonderful Flamingo family back together. To experience the fulfillment of bringing joy to others. Instead of wallowing in the madness and misery of the nightly talking heads,” a statement on the restaurant website reads. “We’ve always considered being of service to others an honorable profession. So if all goes well we hope to regain your confidence in us and see you soon.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 5:44 PM.
