THUNDER BAY – Opening for take-out was great for the first few weeks, but the co-owner of The Caribou and Keg restaurants said it quickly became clear that the service wasn’t going to pay the bills.
When the province allowed restaurants to build outdoor patios and serve customers, it added a little more to the coffers.
Bob Stewart says he’s hopeful this week’s announcement of the start to Phase 3 of Ontario’s reopening strategy, which includes reduced occupancy indoor dining, will help his two Thunder Bay eateries not only survive the COVID-19 pandemic, but thrive.
“The ability to open, even with reduced seating, is going to give us the ability to keep the cash flow rolling into the business and keep the business healthy and live,” Stewart said. “That’s imperative, I think.
“Long-term, it’s going to be a tough struggle, but I think we’ve got 50 per cent or better seating capacity in both our restaurants. We’ve installed patios outside in both our restaurants, which will help again. We won’t be at 100 per cent sales, but it should be OK. It should be enough to get us by.”
He and his staff have been busy in recent days in anticipation of Monday’s announcement, made by Premier Doug Ford at Queen’s Park.
It’s been a lot of work creating socially distant eating spaces, but Stewart said he’s excited to be welcoming customers back inside his restaurants for the first time since March.
“The restaurants are up and running, so it’s not a far stretch for us to get in full stride, which we’re pretty excited about,” Stewart said.
However, what exactly the dining experience will look like remains up in the air.
Stewart said neither he nor the Thunder Bay District Health Unit have guidelines from the province yet in hand.
Restaurants are restricted to 50 per cent capacity limits and staff at both the front and back of the house will wear masks. Stewart is hoping either the province will mandate masks for customers, to take any uncertainty out of the equation, or that in the absence of a legislative requirement, customers will wear them out of courtesy.
“Our service styles are going to change a little bit,” Stewart said. “Our servers will not be going into the tables as much as they used to and there are lots of things we’re doing that way.
“Our drink service is going to be a little bit safer for the staff. It’s always a concern, but as long as we follow procedures, I think we’ll be OK.”
Bistro One sommelier and manager Cale Graydon said being allowed to offer take-out service helped his restaurant weather the storm.
But like Stewart, he’s glad to be able to invite customers back into his dining room, to check out the revamped wine list and dinner menu.
“We’re almost there. It’s just crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s, cleaning the restaurant to make sure it’s up to standards and preparing to have a grand re-opening at Bistro One,” Graydon said.
However, customers will have to wait a little longer than Friday.
“We’re anticipating next week,” Graydon said.
“The biggest challenge with a lot of restaurants is getting the kitchen prepared and the program back up to snuff with prep and with orders and getting the food ready for the dinner. So we want to make sure that we roll out flawlessly with service and food.”
