Dining rooms at all Ontario restaurants have been closed since March due to COVID-19, and the owner of the downtown Sudbury eatery The Cedar Nest Decor Café said despite remaining open to takeout, business is down 70 per cent.
“It’s very disheartening for everyone,” said Sue Peters, who has been able to stay afloat in part from a partially forgivable, interest-free loan from the government. “We’re all in the same boat.”
But earlier this week, the provincial government announced that the area covered by Public Health Sudbury & Districts opens to the Stage 2 loosening of pandemic restrictions as of Friday, June 12 at 12:01 a.m.
With the lifting of some restrictions, restaurants, bars, food trucks and other food and drink establishments can open for dining in outdoor areas only. That includes patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent premises.
Peters said she’s excited to open the sidewalk patio at her Cedar Street business as of 11 a.m. Friday.
“I didn’t sleep at all,” she said. “I had all of my to-do lists going on in my mind … There’s not a lot of time to plan to capitalize on the opening day.”
The province has outlined a number of safety measures for patios, including reservations, limiting the number of patrons at one time, and ensuring enough space between tables.
Access to indoor facilities is limited to patio/outdoor dining area access, food pickup, payment, washrooms or other health and safety purposes.
Peters said in her shop, she’s going to make sure tables are spaced out, and she will have a hand sanitation station available and provide disposable paper menus.
She said she asks that people not wear gloves, and instead wash their hands, as people might have been touching a lot of other items with their gloves.
Reservations are not mandatory, but are encouraged, as seating is limited. Phone 705-561-5925. The Cedar Nest’s patio will be open for extended hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
The province has also announced that liquor sales licensees who wish to extend temporarily the physical size of their existing licensed patio, or temporarily add a new licensed patio within the approved period are authorized to do so.
Peters said she’s already expanded the size of her sidewalk patio a bit, and plans further extensions as long as her plans are met with the city’s approval. If her landlord is agreeable, she’s also planning to expand into the parking spot next to her cafe.
Workers were also busy setting up the sidewalk patios at the Laughing Buddha and the Townehouse Tavern downtown on Elgin Street Tuesday, with the goal of reopening both the sidewalk patios and the Buddha’s inside patio as of lunchtime Friday.
“We’re super excited,” said Veronica Desjardins, general manager of both restaurants, which are owned by her family. “We’ve been waiting for this day and trying to prepare as much as we could ahead of time, but we’re just getting things rolling right now.
“They’re putting out the Buddha and Townehouse outside patios. We’re just trying to organize the seating and the spacing out of the tables on the Buddha inside patios.”
She said she’s been doing a lot of research on health measures for patios in other jurisdictions. Both restaurants will definitely be spacing out tables much more, and Desjardins said she expects to be taking a lot more reservations.
Like Peters, the owners of the Buddha and Townehouse have also accessed federal financial support, and because of that, still exist.
“But it’s been a huge impact,” Desjardins said. “We had to lay off many of our staff. We’ve slowly been calling them back.
“We’re definitely grateful for the community and their support, and all of the people who have continued to order takeout and delivery from us.”
