Johnson says he also chose not to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal coronavirus-related loan program for businesses, because it didn’t seem feasible to pay employees with no money coming in. With Broadway not set to reopen until next year, Johnson’s concerns are echoed by many other business owners in the neighborhood. “New York needs tourists, and we need Broadway to be open,” says Johnson. So far, no one has shown an interest in taking over the space, he says, and the bar’s interior remains intact.Ī bigger problem, though, has been customers. The bar’s landlord did not reach an agreement with the owners, and Johnson says he handed over his keys on April 1.
Therapy’s challenges have been multi-fold, Johnson says. Unlike some other bars in the city, Therapy chose not to remain open for takeout drinks. The bar, located at 348 West 52nd Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, has been closed since March 16, when the state-mandated shutdown on indoor dining went into effect due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When are people going to be confident about returning to a crowded bar?”
“There’s a 99 percent chance of us closing,” says Johnson, who first hinted at the closure in a post on Therapy’s Facebook page, on Sunday. Longtime Hell’s Kitchen gay bar Therapy - a popular establishment where many RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants and winners have performed over the years - is in danger of permanently closing, co-owner Tom Johnson tells Eater.