“It’s like starting from scratch again”: How six Toronto restaurateurs are planning to reopen for Stage 2
Since closing in mid-March, Toronto’s bars and restaurants have been hit hard. Many pivoted to takeout and delivery. Others weren’t able to make the switch. Now, as the city’s restaurateurs have been given a green light to move to Stage 2 and reopen patios today, they’re faced with a new challenge: adhering to—and understanding—government guidelines. We spoke with some owners to see what they’ve got in the works.
Ann Kim, Donna’s
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting? Are they feasible and financially viable?
It’s hard to say whether it will be worth it financially because we won’t know until we start how many people will even show up. In terms of feasibility, there’s a lot of confusion. Even with something as simple as washroom access, it’s unclear whether we’re obligated to let guests inside to use them. Currently, we’re only set up for curbside pick-up orders.
Stage 2 will allow outdoor dine-in service on “patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent premises.” Do you have a patio? Will you make one?
We are making one. It will be on the sidewalk, directly in front of the restaurant. We’re going to put two tables right in front, which will seat between two and 12 people. That’s about 30 per cent of what we could seat inside. We’ve applied for a larger patio in the curb lane through the CaféTO program—which will help businesses expand existing outdoor space or add new space—but we haven’t heard back yet. We count ourselves lucky. We have a supportive landlord and the physical space required to follow the guidelines outside, so we still have a fighting chance. But I’m not sure a small temporary patio will be profitable. I would hate to implement a minimum spend because we’re not that kind of place—we try to remain accessible to a range of spending abilities. If anything, outdoor dining will be good practice for when we can allow dine-in guests again—to get a head start on cleaning and distancing measures, and signage that tells people where they have to wait.
What new safety protocols are you developing?
We’ll be taking reservations, but we may still allow walk-ins if the space allows. We’ll be recording guest information—name, number or email and the time they were there—per the new guidelines. We are definitely going to be providing single-use masks for all our staff. If they’d prefer a washable fabric mask, we’ll cover the cost. The biggest thing I’m worried about is the dishwashing area. Our dishwashers will be the ones handling all the customers’ dishes, cutlery and glassware. I’ve been racking my brain for ways to make that process as safe as possible for them. A lot of the safety measures that the government has put in place are in regards to the public, not necessarily restaurant staff. We are trying to be mindful of that as much as possible, and we’ll have to figure that out before we open.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
When we closed in March, we didn’t offer takeout or delivery at first—not until we had a safe and affordable way to do so. We finally started in May, using the Toronto-based website Ambassador. Initially we were just offering lunch items, but we now offer dinner options, and we recently launched new virtual gift cards, too. It’s like starting from scratch again—we’ve pared down our staff, and we’re trying to stay flexible as we reconfigure the business model and rebuild in a slow and calculated fashion. Before we get our staffing level back to what it was, we want to get a foothold on what the new normal will be for business.
Julian Morana, Bar Volo and Birreria Volo
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting?
On one hand, business is business and we’re excited to get back into the swing of things. But on the other hand, the details for the next phases are still pretty minimal and a little confusing. It’s not clear if businesses will even be able to serve alcohol on all temporary patios. Financially, there are a lot of variables. How can I hire back all my staff? What if it’s a rainy day? We’ll probably have to take reservations and impose a minimum spend. We might also impose a gratuity for the security of our staff’s income. I want to open in Stage 2, but I might want to take a week or two at first, to see what the kinks are in the system.
Do you have a patio? Will you make one?
At Birreria Volo on College Street, we have a small patio in the front that sits four people—maybe more if we can expand it with the CaféTO program—and a patio in the back that sits 25. In the front, I’d like to do sidewalk barbecue sales with a mini spiedini grill. In the back, we’re hoping we can allow entry through the alleyway so people don’t have to walk through the restaurant. At Bar Volo, near Yonge and Wellesley, we don’t have a patio but we’re hoping we can turn some of the brick-lined laneway of St. Nicholas Street into a large patio with barrel tables.
What new safety protocols are you developing?
That’s a whole other checklist. This is still up in the air, but right now I’m thinking customers will pre-purchase a two-hour time slot and pre-order food and drink from our online menu. An hour into their reservation, they’ll have the option to order more through the website using their smartphones. So, servers will be more like bussers. I think that’s the safest route, but plans are very much in flux right now. We’ll have to have a system in place for cleaning the bathrooms more frequently, and have someone stationed at the entrance at all times to ensure guests are abiding by distancing rules. Servers are going to be more like babysitters. We’re also assuming that staff want to come back to this kind of environment—maybe they won’t want to.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
We’ve launched and expanded bodega-style shops called Bottega Volo at both locations, which we were originally only planning for Bar Volo. Both businesses deliver across Ontario, and we offer local takeout and pickup, which is something we didn’t offer before the pandemic.
Jonathan Poon, Paris Paris, Nice Nice, Favorites, and Superpoint
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting?
It sucks. There’s no other way to say it. If only patios are allowed to open, restaurants that don’t have them are out of luck. Yes, the city is allowing restaurants to make temporary patios through this CaféTO program, but not on any private property and only on property in front of your establishment.
Do any of your restaurants have patios?
Nice Nice has a patio, but none of my other restaurants do. For those spots, we might be able to add two or three tables at most, if we’re not eligible for a bigger curbside patio. If we can’t seat anyone inside, adding an extra six or eight seats outside is not going to help. It’s not really financially viable. The best we can do is try to keep our costs as low as possible and hope that our loyal customers will come and support us.
What new safety protocols are you developing?
Once we’re allowed to serve guests inside again, we’ll eliminate bar seating, we’ll provide basic PPE for staff, and we’ll possibly install some kind of plexiglass shield to block certain areas where customers and staff might be in close contact. We may use empty tables as additional service space, where staff can place orders for pickup, so they don’t have to go directly to the customer’s table. It all depends on customer reactions and what the city requires.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
We never did takeout with delivery apps before, but we started offering it at Paris Paris, Favorites and Superpoint. It’s not ideal. There’s a reason why we never did it prior to the pandemic. We don’t like dealing with the apps and we don’t like the way our product is handled by delivery drivers—but anything helps right now.
Nancy Chen, SoSo Food Club, Otto’s Bierhalle, Otto’s Berlin Döner
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting?
The worry a lot of restaurant owners have is that the rent relief or wage subsidy will be removed while we have these new restrictions in place. If we are functioning at 20 or 30 per cent capacity, it’s going to be very challenging to bring in the numbers that justify paying rent. I think everyone is on board with what is best for public health, but how can we ensure that the business stays afloat at the same time?
Do any of your restaurants have patios?
Otto’s Berlin Döner in Kensington Market already has a patio that can seat 12, which means it will likely drop to six, but hopefully we can extend it to bump that number up. Otto’s Bierhalle could benefit the most from a patio because we’re on the street corner and can hopefully extend it on both the Queen and Dovercourt sides. If that happens, we can probably seat 30 people outside. At Otto’s, the model has always been centred around big groups of guests. It will be really difficult for us to make the money we need to if we have to shift to high-tops and a small patio, especially since our rent on Queen West is extremely high. There’s no patio at SoSo Food Club near Dundas and Ossington, but we can maybe safely seat 12 people in front if we can use two parking spaces through the CaféTO program—but we can fit 100 people inside. So I think an outdoor patio will help, but it’s not going to save the business. It’s not clear how temporary these patios will be, but we want them to be safe and still look good at the same time. If we invest money in putting together nice patios only to take them down after the summer, it may not have been worth it financially.
What new safety protocols are you developing?
We’re going to try to promote reservations as much as possible so it’s easier to manage group sizes and customer information. We’ve started to redraw our layouts—both indoors and outdoors—to allow for two-metre distancing between tables. We’re going to frequently disinfect touch points like iPads and cash machines. I read a study that said a lot of bacteria in bathrooms ends up on the faucets, so we’ll pay particular attention to those. We also updated our policy regarding illness: if any staff member is feeling even just a little unwell, they stay home. In pre-pandemic restaurant culture, people didn’t want to lose shifts or feel like they were letting the team down. That will have to change.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
At the beginning of the pandemic, we turned SoSo Food Club into an online wine shop. We finally started takeout and delivery at Berlin Döner in early June. And at the Bierhalle, we are currently rethinking the menu, which has always consisted of big shareable plates. We are also planning to sell and deliver summer barbecue packs full of marinated meat for DIY grilling.
Frankie Solarik, BarChef
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting?
It definitely puts the industry in a difficult position. Our margins are already quite tight, and these new social-distancing rules will put an additional strain on a lot of businesses. We’re fortunate that BarChef is a larger space and there’s a good amount of air circulation for when we can offer dine-in service again.
Do you have a patio? Will you make one?
No. An outdoor patio is not conducive to the location, to the space or the concept. BarChef is a nice, intimate, dark and sexy spot. We’ll probably have to be one of the last places to reopen. We’re going to hold on until we’re given the opportunity to actually welcome guests inside.
What new safety protocols are you developing?
To keep the experience intimate, we already operated on a reduced capacity of about 65 seats pre-pandemic in a space that has the capacity to seat 120, so we will be able to keep a comfortable distance between tables. We’re going to have hand sanitizing stations available at the door. We’ll also have someone at the door wiping any touch points, including the door handles and the iPad guests will be using to enter contact information, as is required by the new government guidelines. We’ll have hand sanitizer at each table for the guests, as well. And there will be signage outside the bathrooms asking guests to wash their hands and maintain social distancing.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
The ability to pivot is so important. We’ve always been proactive about branching out into different aspects of the cocktail experience. BarChef Project bottled drinks have been on LCBO shelves now for a while, and we sold cocktail kits for Father’s Day. We’ve also done virtual cocktail classes and workshops filmed at my home and at the bar, maintaining social distancing while shooting. We don’t see any of those extra avenues going away. We’re putting a big emphasis on the new virtual BarChef experience.
Justin Cournoyer, Actinolite
What do you think of the changes the government is suggesting?
We’re learning as we go. We own the building the restaurant is in, so it’s easier for us to adapt. We won’t be able to seat as many people as we used to, but we’re working on getting other aspects of the business going, and hopefully we’ll make what we need to. It’s going to be a learning experience.
Do you have a patio? Will you make one?
We have an existing patio that is quite beautiful and lush; it’s part of our garden area. We could seat 16 people on the patio before, but now we’ll have to cut it down to eight. Depending on the new regulations, maybe we can expand to other parts of the property. The patio isn’t to generate full income, it’s to get back some sense of normalcy. Whatever we can work with, we’re going to make do and find solutions. It’s more about the mindset for us—I take it as a challenge. We’re staying positive.
What safety protocols are you developing?
We are still in research mode. We’ll have to keep our staff size small, but one of our top priorities is that the staff feel safe to return. We’ll have to wear face masks to keep ourselves and the guests safe, and we’ll make sure our tables are spaced apart in accordance with the regulations. But I don’t want to take too much away from the dining experience by putting plexiglass barriers between tables on the patio or anything over-the-top like that. We are still developing specific protocols, but we are planing on going as a team to be tested regularly and most definitely before opening.
What other ways have you had to adapt since the early days?
We’ve been closed since mid-March. We’re known for our set menus, but one of the first things we want to do when we get back to work is become more accessible. This means coming up with an à la carte menu that’s approachable and at a good price point. Now is not the time for luxury.
