It’s the August long weekend and Wasaga Beach is usually packed.

But anyone looking to grab a drink or something to eat might have to look at little further. Three of the main bars along the strip are closed.

Both beach-goers and businesses are feeling the effects of the locks and eviction notices keeping people out of the Dard, Bananas and Copa Cabana at Beach Area One.

Notices posted by the property owners say the managers of those bars are behind on their bills. 

“It's a huge shock and it's so disappointing that they made that decision,” says Wasaga Beach Mayor Cal Patterson. “It's a business decision – the landowner expects to be paid and they haven't been paid.”

On a weekend where lots of tourists are flocking to the beach, many people say they’re frustrated.

“It's disappointing, especially on a hot summer day on a long weekend,” says Thornhill resident Patricia Busato. “That's what everybody wants to do. Go have a beer outside, have some lunch outside, it's disappointing.”

This afternoon there was just one bar open on the beach and last night it was packed.

“It was a big extended party that we had here,” says Brian Santos at the Sandbar. “We usually have up to about 100 people, yesterday we had maybe like 250 at one point.”

But for the shops that rely on lots of foot traffic, having three bars shut down for any length of time isn't good for their bottom line.

“We would get business all night long,” s ays one local business man, Fred Char. “They would come and patronize us and then go up to the bars and then come back down when the bar is done. Right now I think they are moving on to other locations to party.”

Less business means there's less work. For employees that means a smaller pay cheque.

“I am worried because I'm trying to save up for a car, so I'm worried about like hours and getting cut, like today I got cut by a couple of hours,” says Amber Conbotta, a Wasaga Beach resident who works at Burger King.

Neither the tenants nor the landlord involved were available for comment today.

Patterson says he expects the three bars will be closed for the entire weekend.