Bernice's Tavern

Bernice’s Tavern launches GoFundMe for liquor license | Eater Chicago

"This tchotchke-filled dive bar has been a Bridgeport fixture for decades and is currently running a GoFundMe to raise the $4,400 needed to renew its two-year tavern liquor license after pandemic disruptions shortened its last renewal to roughly nine months. The fundraiser, launched on a Friday and already covering more than $2,500, follows a previous campaign that raised $7,791 to pay utilities, stock, and dram-shop insurance while the bar was closed; the basic 2 a.m. tavern license was last renewed in December 2019 and expires on December 15. Owner Steve Badauskas says COVID “took a bigger bite” than expected; the spot reopened in March 2021 after a year-long shutdown and has since resumed regular open-mic nights and Wednesday bingo, having sold to-go drinks earlier in the pandemic to stay afloat. Originally opened as Adam’s Place after Prohibition in 1933, it was taken over by bartender John Badauskas in 1965, who bought the building in 1975 and renamed the bar after his wife Bernice, a fixture behind the bar until her death in 2017." - Aimee Levitt