The latest round of restrictions from the Alberta Government has restaurants closed for in house dining, so a number of local restaurants have decided to get creative.
Marie Tuttle, co-owner of the White Bull, says that for their business it made sense to set up a patio outside their restaurant. While the diner doesn’t typically have a patio, with the current situation, they’re doing everything they can to keep the business running while working within the legal restrictions.
“We set it out there and people are coming, even though it’s cold,” says Tuttle. She says they’ve put out heaters to keep people warm.
She says they don’t have a tent set up, but they were closed on April 18 when the weather turned suddenly and brought in snow.
Everyday her staff brings the tables in and out of the restaurant, which she says is extra work, but says that’s all right. “It’s worth it if people are coming,” she says.
On top of offering patio services, Tuttle says they are also offering take-out and delivery. Tuttle says with the weather and the patio things are looking better financially with this lock down.
Unfortunately they had to lay staff off due to the lockdown, which Tuttle says wasn’t easy.
While there are restaurants that are refusing to cooperate with the government restrictions, Tuttle says they didn’t feel it was worth the risk for their business. “They’re pulling your food safety license and they’re tarnishing your name,” she says.
“We just hope it’s over soon. I know it’s hurting everyone,” says Tuttle.
Nicole Robinson, the General Manager of Khal’s Steakhouse and Lounge, says she appreciates how much the community has come out to support restaurants.
“We’re really lucky that Drayton Valley is so good to us. Like completely lucky that people are actually coming out, sitting in the cold, the rain, the snow,” she says.
While she says it’s a lot of extra work to have the additional patios set up, it’s worth it for the business. Robinson says she’s not sure if the business would have survived another lockdown if they couldn’t have the patios running.
“The nice thing is that we’ll be here when it gets reopened, instead of last time when we were barely making it,” she says.
She says with delivery and takeout alone they wouldn’t have been able to make it through this lockdown. Like the White Bull, they’ve been forced to lay off some staff and reduce the hours for those who are still there.
While Khal’s already had a patio set up, they brought in a tent to the parking lot to make additional room, giving them space for around 65 guests at a time.
The snow and wind on April 18 provided an additional challenge for the staff. Robinson said the wind caught the tent and pulled it, so they had to readjust it. They also had to get all of the snow off of the top of the tent and the tables that had been exposed while the tent was moved by the wind.
“But we got it done and we’re back to it,” says Robinson.
She says that people are coming even on the cold days. While there is a heater to keep guests warm, the weather isn’t cooperating very well she says.
Robinson says she’s happy to see that there are some restaurants that are choosing to stay open despite the restrictions. “I think it’s great. We have to fight now. Otherwise half of us wouldn’t be here,” she says.
She says it’s a difficult choice for owners because the Government is handing out fines and potentially revoking Food Safety Licenses. “You don’t know if you’ll ever get a food permit again because you’re defying AHS orders. It’s a big risk,” she says.
Robinson says those businesses that are staying open don’t have any other options, otherwise they would have shut down. As far as Government support goes, she says there isn’t much there.
“It’s like putting four wheels on a 12 wheeler truck. You’re just not getting anywhere,” she says.
