When is last call? Questions remain as Toronto restaurants scramble to reopen patios safely
Restaurants are excited to welcome back the public once again to its patios when the Ontario government kick starts Step 1 of its plan to reopen of the economy, but many are scrambling.
The government has set June 14 as the target date and now says there’s a chance it could happen earlier. The last time patios were allowed to open was the end of March.
Aside from four people being able to sit at tables distanced apart— restauranteurs have a lot of questions.
“When’s last call? Are we going to have last call at 9 p.m. when the sun’s still blazing? How do I staff? How do I train? It’s absolutely confusing,” said Shamez Amlani, owner of La Palette on Queen Street West.
Early on in the pandemic, Amlani rejigged his French restaurant into a wine shop. Down the street his live music venue sells groceries and sandwiches.
He’s looking forward to the reopening but is also concerned about budgeting, bringing in perishable foods and hiring enough staff — his former employees are elsewhere.
“I know maître ds who’ve turned real estate agents, I know cooks who’ve taken up gigs in B.C., Turks and Caicos … Mixologists who have moved to Montreal, so our industry has taken a beating.”
The scramble for labour is creating a competitive environment. Some Toronto Business Improvement Areas told CTV News Toronto that bars and restaurants won’t have the staff to maximize their earnings.
In Bloorcourt, Wise Bar was concerted into Wise Bagel as a result of COVID-19.
The ups and downs of the pandemic economy has made owner Tamara Wise apprehensive about what the latest reopening will look like and how long it will last.
“It is very frustrating,” she told CTV News Toronto. “I don’t really have faith that what the government plans is going to happen. Even if they had a clear message at this point, I’m not sure I would believe it.”
Wise bagel starts to prepare their curbside patio as Ontario gets ready to reopen. (Beth Macdonell/CTV News Toronto)
CTV News Toronto reached out the Premier’s Office about reopening questions and concerns. It said the province will confirm details closer to the expected start of Step 1.
“I definitely feel a little overwhelmed,” Wise said. “Off the bat just the safety for me and my staff, a bit worried about re-entering a space where a lot of people will be unmasked.”
Everything considered she’s decided to wait to reopen her patio until at least June 14, whether or not the green light comes before then.
“My other main concern is putting a lot of energy time and money into a reopening project that won’t come to pass or will only be allowed for two weeks or so i’ve really done as little investment as possible both financially and emotionally.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.