‘Goodnight, Scarlett’: Longtime St. Augustine bar closes, owners blame inflation

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Scarlett O’Hara’s and Dos Gatos in St. Augustine closed its doors for the last time in an unexpected announcement Tuesday.

Scarlett O’Hara’s is a St. Augustine staple after 50 years in business. “As much as we fought, we still failed her and frankly my dear, that sucks,” a letter read on the front door.

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The owners blamed “skyrocketing costs, the pandemic’s lingering effect on tourism, and the natural change of guests’ tastes.”

“It was actually like a really nice place. We used to go there on the weekends and stuff. But surprisingly they’re closed,” Donavan Smith, a St. Augustine resident, said.

“They make great food. I can’t believe they’re closing. They’ve been there for a really long time. My parents went there before us,” Jonathan Smith said.

The owners stated that their employees are top priority and they’ve reached out to other area restaurants to transition them into new work.

Next door, The Gifted Cork’s owner said she was also surprised about the announcement but understood the pains of inflation.

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“Everybody’s prices have gone up. Every time I get an invoice for new wine — I have to double-check to make sure my prices are right because they keep creeping up their prices,” Jeanne Maron said. She’s owned the business for 13 years and hopes a new, upscale restaurant moves in.

According to the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Florida is seeing record tourism numbers, but it can’t compete with the increase in the cost of goods.

Nicole Chapman, FRLA’s regional director, said for every dollar spent at a restaurant nationwide, the business used to earn five cents. Because of inflation, restaurants are now only earning one cent.

“Just like our electric bill has gone up, theirs has as well. Combining all that with a tight labor market, it’s making it really hard to stay alive,” she said.

Action News Jax has reached out to the owners of Scarlett O’Hara’s and Dos Gatos, but we did not hear back by the time this article was published.

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