Carpe Noctem is the ethos of 24 Hour Dallas. For too many it comes with strings attached. On Monday, August 3rd, 24 Hour Dallas will be hosting a Zoom conversation about racism and its effects on the Dallas night time economy.
Interested participants can register for the Zoom meeting thru the 24 Hour Dallas website or via this link.
Night Time Dallas Impacted By COVID19
The first U.S. case of coronavirus originating from China was reported in the United States on January 16, 2020. The first COVID19 case in North Texas was March 9th and by March 12, 2020, Dallas County officials declared a local disaster in response to the COVID-19 pandemic after 13 people were infected in North Texas.
Within a week, the City of Dallas and Dallas County ordered all bars, lounges, taverns, gyms, and theaters to close. Restaurants were required to shutter their dining rooms and only provide takeout or drive-thru service. And Dallas County saw its first death due to the highly contagious virus.
By June 3, Dallas County would have 11,000 diagnosed cases of COVID19 and 250 deaths.
The pandemic fired a direct hit into Dallas’ sociable economic drivers — restaurants, hotels, cultural organizations, special events, and tourism. As these industries recover, 24HourDallas will help restore and advance those aspects of urban life that have been most damaged.
Downtown Dallas and Dallas night life has been impacted both by COVID19’s spread and multiple issues with Dallas Police.
Birth of Carpe Noctem
In 2015, a coalition of bars in Dallas’ Uptown social district contacted the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) in Austin, Texas.
The Uptown commercial corridor had, in recent years, seen rapid residential growth in and next to what had long been a bar and restaurant destination.
Some bars were beginning to face pushback about parking, noise, increased crime and other neighbor complaints. In the absence of a representative association of their own, bar owners inquired with the TRA about any assistance they might be able to provide.
The TRA referred the bar owners to the Dallas-area chapter of the state association, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. Bar owners met with the GDRA’s executive director and its recently contracted public affairs consultant.
The GDRA representatives recommended that the bars create “good neighbor agreements” as used in other U.S. markets and take steps to manage noise concerns. Instead, the bar owners decided to organize a business association and help pay for additional security in the district.
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