The city is making restaurateurs pay nearly $1,000 to use their own patios this year

As patio season approaches, Scott Vivian, owner of Beast Pizza—a pandemic-times pivot from what was once his popular brunch spot, Beast—is once again stuck between a rock and a, ahem, yard place. And he’s not the only one.

In a cruel twist of fate, the cost of renting public patio space from the city—the one gift that Covid gave to restaurant owners back in 2020, when restrictions were killing the industry—is now increasing exponentially like, well, everything else.

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Vivian was told he’d have to pay $960 for a city permit this year ($40 of which is something called an “awning fee”), which is a more than 100 per cent increase over the $440 he paid last year. But Vivian considers himself one of the lucky ones (even though he’s essentially paying to use his front lawn), as his Tecumseth Street patio is part of the restaurant’s property and doesn’t spill out onto the sidewalk or street.

“For me, the cost of the patio isn’t what irks me,” he says. “It’s that there’s no way of getting in touch with someone who can actually explain the increased cost. When I opened my patio in 2010, I paid $300 for the permit, and the cost only went up incrementally for the last 14 years. Now, all of a sudden, the permit price has more than doubled, and I’m expected to just swallow it—no questions asked.” And while this may be an annual permit, let’s remember that Toronto’s patio season lasts only four months.

Vivian’s wife, Erica Campbell, who co-owns Society Clubhouse on College Street, has had to take an even bigger hit. “People who are part of CaféTO got their patio permits for free back in 2020, and now they’re having to pay huge fees,” says Vivian. “Last year, Erica paid around $1,000, and this year it’s gone up to $2,300. That’s a big chunk of change.”