Maneuvering the Pandemic: Las Ramblas’ Journey

Behind the bar at Las Ramblas. Courtesy of Border Creative Co.

Las Ramblas lounge was hours away from opening their doors to embrace dozens of patrons eager to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The servers at the relaxing and dimly lit lounge were prepared for a long night to be filled with craft cocktails and great conversations. That is until the looming global pandemic truly began to set in.  

COVID-19 has impacted everyday life from socializing with friends to where and how we work. Las Ramblas was only several weeks shy of celebrating their first anniversary but have kept their doors closed since March to do their part in curbing the spread of COVID-19.  

Fabian and Michael Limas opened the doors of Las Ramblas lounge on May 5th of 2019 in the historic Market Square of downtown Brownsville.  

“The journey began in September of 2018 when I came aboard, a crazy busy journey leading up to the grand opening the following spring,” Chris Galicia, beverage director at Las Ramblas, said. “We are a cocktail bar placing a [large emphasis] on our physical products. We are very focused in caring for our staff emotionally and financially. Cultivating the right space for our staff is everything.”  

The attention to detail Las Ramblas places on crafting beverages, creating a welcoming atmosphere, and having a close-knit staff draws in guests by the dozen. Individuals that either frequently drops in or are checking out the space for the first time feel cared for and continue to return for the drinks, but stick around for the welcoming energy exerted by the waitstaff.  

“When we opened, the [receptiveness of the community] was great, we were rocking and rolling, progressing forward and our brand took off in a great direction,” Galicia said. “People recognized us as the place to be in Brownsville, and everything just stopped.”  

The decision from Las Ramblas management to close indefinitely was difficult, to say the least, but seen as a necessary decision to make. Galicia along with other employees at Las Ramblas were already planning a new menu and discussing a fun way to celebrate the one-year milestone that was rapidly approaching.  

“We had our normal service on the Saturday before [St. Patrick’s Day] and at the end of the night it was like that scene out of the Avengers movie where they’re all sitting and eating at the end of a tiring day, Galicia said. “We all knew something was happening, COVID was looming. On that Tuesday, I sat down with the owners and we made the decision to take care of our staff and close the doors, the last thing we wanted to do was put anybody in [harm’s way].”  

A bartender preparing a cocktail. Courtesy of Border Creative Co.

Las Ramblas operates with 10 employees who have been involved in the service industry for many years. Galicia pointed out one of the hardest things about closing was that he and the staff were used to working long shifts throughout each week and constantly moving. At the beginning of the pandemic when Las Ramblas closed, the staff found themselves without that structure their job provided and sitting at home without a clue of what to do to occupy their time.  

“It messes with your physicality and mentality,” Galicia said. “It was very difficult to stay in the right headspace and maintain a positive mindset with the major culture shock brought on by the pandemic. Most of our staff went on unemployment with some working at other bars and restaurants in the community. United Way even started ‘Get Shift Done’ providing jobs to four of my staff serving meals to the homeless [among other community involved tasks.]”   

According to an article from VOA News published in July, bars were considered to be a serious threat to spreading COVID-19 due to commonly touched surfaces, loud talking, laughing and the likeliness of violating social distancing guidelines. In an article from   

Fox News published in June, bars were ordered to close indefinitely for the second time as COVID-19 cases increased rapidly. Although similar to how bars operate, restaurants were allowed to stay open but at a reduced capacity.   

Recently, the Texas Tribune published an article regarding Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision that as of October 14, Texas counties can decide whether they’d allow bars to reopen at half capacity. Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. opted into bars having the ability to welcome customers in their spaces once again.  

When asked about his opinion on bars being closed as restaurants are open and welcoming customers, Galicia has an optimistic outlook on the road ahead.  

“It’s like the wild west out here, no one knows how to traverse the waters,” Galicia said. “The fact that restaurants are open and operating at near full capacity hasn’t bothered or upset us. We’re going to do what we need to do and not waste time getting upset and ranting that restaurants are open while we aren’t.”  

The team at Las Ramblas is working on the final details for the near future where they’re able to open their doors once again to serve the Rio Grande Valley. They’ll have to deviate from their normal day to day functions since they’re aiming to be mindful of the ongoing pandemic by sanitizing frequently, requiring social distancing, and using their outdoor space more.  

“We’re trying to stand by our brand and build off day one, but we’ll have to make some exceptions,” Galicia said. “We need to recoup first by generating some income so we can get back to being experimental and giving the people what they want. There’s no definitive answer for what lies on the road ahead, but it’s going to require us to stay adaptable and evolve from our original concept. We just need to take it as it comes.”