The last week of August brought a dire warning for the Canadian restaurant industry.
According to a pandemic-focused survey by The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, up to 60% of restaurants could close permanently by November. The findings grabbed headlines across the country.
So PentictonNow hit the streets to chat with the head honchos of several prominent local eateries. We wanted to know how bad it's been, and how bad it might get. The responses were as varied as the menus.
Over at Shades on Main, founded way back in 1969, owner Edgar Schroeder has endured a double whammy.
Along with the pandemic impact, there were months of road work outside the facility that restricted public access.
"We closed in March when it was mandated, except for take-out and delivery, but with the construction even that wasn't feasible," said Schroeder. "So we were open for a week and a half, then we closed until the 4th of July."
Currently, the restaurant is set up for customers who prefer a precautionary environment.
Not only is it operating at one-third its normal indoor seating capacity (100 of 150 seats open), but there's a series of newly installed elevated barriers between booths, a plexiglass shield in the cashier's area and one-way floor traffic (patrons enter through one door and leave through another). And all servers wear masks.
According to Schroeder, the pandemic has also given him a chance to more rigidly implement his own stringent cleanliness regimen.
"My mom has two types of arthritis and her immune system is pretty weak," he said. "So we're more adamant on the government protocols. I've had quite a few guests mention they're impressed how closely we're following the protocols."
Shades has taken advantage of the provincial government's interest-free $40,000 small business loan, in which $10,000 is forgiven if the loan is repaid by the end of 2022, and is currently applying for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).
"Starting up again," said Schroeder, "was just like when we first opened the doors."
Schroeder, who says he's "impressed with how much turnout we've had based on what we can accommodate," doesn't believe Shades will ultimately become a pandemic victim. But that doesn’t mean he isn't deeply concerned.
"Once winter rolls around, how much will that change things? Are people going to go out less? If it was snowing right now and a guest came in sneezing or coughing, they can tell me they just have a cold, but I couldn't let them in because they compromise my staff and guests."
Nor has he ruled out a second wave of closures.
"That would be pretty difficult. And if you’re going to close down, you need to close long enough to eradicate it. So what's the next closure going to be? To the spring?"
Unlike Shades on Main, Loki's Garage, situated downtown in the same spot as the now defunct Burger 55, is a newcomer. It first opened in May, just after the initial pandemic craziness.
"For us, it’s a unique situation because we're a new restaurant," said Loki's owner/operator Luke Walsh. "Once we did open, we opened just for lunch as take-outs. We waited another six to eight weeks for patio seating. And then we stuck with just patio seating only for safety reasons."
Now with the seasons transitioning, Loki's is slowly ramping up its interior. Four tables are open now and two more are coming on board.
Walsh didn't have to wait that long. But he did anyway, due to "comfort level."
"If I go to eat somewhere else, I just don’t feel 100% comfortable inside. That's not a knock on the place, but patrons not always following the rules."
As the boss of a new venue, Walsh can't compare 2020 income with prior years.
He does, however, admit it's substantially lower than initial pre-pandemic projections.
"It also remains to be seen how tight it'll be during the fall. But business is growing and the communal support has been phenomenal."
Phenomenal enough, apparently, for Loki's to finally embark on its daily brunch program.
Originally pegged as the restaurant's focus, brunch, and the newly expanded hours to accommodate it, came on stream in mid-July.
Yet Walsh recognizes there's still a long way to go.
Being a new enterprise, he said, Loki's doesn't qualify for government stimulus.
And while he's "more than happy to follow the anti-COVID measures and do what we need to do to get through it," he admits his original concept of a "lively place where people rub elbows" isn't happening anytime soon.
"The way it works in Penticton," said Walsh about the near future, "is you load up in the summer and you have a nice big nest egg for the winter. So that’s the worry I would say for restaurants all over town. Not so much how this winter is over last winter, but do you have enough in the bank to get through to next spring."
Tomorrow, we chat with the folks at Black Antler, La Casa Ouzeria and Smugglers Smokehouse.
