Seabrook's famous floating bar Barge 295 was 'completely underwater' due to Beryl, owner says

The owners of a popular bar in Seabrook say city officials aren't exactly making it easy for them to recover from Hurricane Beryl.

When Beryl made landfall on Monday, Barge 295 sunk into Clear Lake, putting 32 employees out of work and threatening the bar's future.

"I mean, it was completely underwater, sitting on the bottom," co-owner Michael Robinson said. "I'm very saddened by it because we've got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in it."

Robinson, his brother, and another partner bought Barge 295 in 2017, opening five days before Hurricane Harvey hit.

"Not long after we recover from Harvey, COVID comes, and then shortly after that, we're dealing with this," he explained. "So it's been one thing after another, but we've tried to stay strong and resilient and keep it going."

Even if everything goes smoothly, it'll still be months before the barge reopens.

They were hoping to serve customers at The Yard, an outdoor area they opened during COVID-19.

There's a food truck, a stage, and plenty of seating.

"We were told by the building official yesterday that under no circumstances were we able to open," Robinson said. "I had to inform our employees of that. I told everybody that they can obviously seek other employment or apply for benefits."

Seabrook's city manager said officials await more information before allowing customers at the bar.

She said safety issues, like restroom access, could be a concern with the primary business shut down.

"Most cities and municipalities are doing whatever they can to help local businesses back on their feet," Robinson said. "We've got a family here. Our employees and our customers. We've got a pretty deep bond with both sets, and we'd like to get everything back up and open."

For more on this story, follow Pooja Lodhia on Facebook,X and Instagram.