Business dries up as fears keep customers at home
Bars and restaurants among first to feel body blow as cancellations pour in
Colin Hall said yoga classes at his business were well attended this past week — which is part of the reason he and his wife Sarah decided to close up shop on Sunday.
“As long as we were open I think it was sending a message that everything is cool, ‘It’ll be fine, don’t worry’ and I was getting increasingly concerned about that,” said Hall, owner of Bodhi Tree Yoga.
The decision to shut down over concerns around possible spread of COVID -19 didn’t come easy or without thoughts of personal safety. The health of his family and an unwillingness to wait and be told what to do encouraged Hall’s actions.
“It’s partially a selfish decision. My mother-in-law has stage four cancer and I don’t want to be teaching a group class,” said Hall.
Still, Hall said yoga and exercise might be a much-needed thing for people self-isolating; that’s why he decided to broadcast classes online.
“We tried to stream some classes yesterday and it was a bit of a gong-show, but as a result we’ve managed to iron out some kinks.”
Tuesday night, Hall said he was expecting a class of 20 people to tune in for some remote relaxation.
Hall’s is far from the only business having to get creative or shut down entirely due to COVID-19 concerns.
For restaurants and bars, March offers a reprieve from the slow period of January and February. This year, with St. Patrick’s Day festivities all but cancelled, there will be no relief.
Kitchen and bar owners in Regina are closing their doors and limiting hours voluntarily to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.
And the virus is not taking a toll in only the near term.
Mark Heise, president of Rebellion Brewing, said business has fallen off a cliff in recent days as people take precautionary steps to avoid transmitting the virus by staying home.
“We’ve seen almost every event that we’ve got planned for the next three months cancelled. We had events scheduled in September, a conference where we were going to be a major beer supplier, that’s all cancelled,” said Heise.
For restaurants such as The
Capitol, in downtown Regina, COVID-19 seems to be the final nail in the coffin for a struggling business.
Joel Williams, owner and executive chef, said when downtown businesses started keeping workers home, his business dried up.
“As soon as this hit, I’d say probably we saw a 60-per-cent drop-off,” said Williams, an old hand with 23 years of experience in kitchens.
The decision to close for good came Monday. Employees are applying for employment insurance, but the kitchen will stay open for the rest of the week, offering food for delivery. Williams said if there is a need, and if there are any hours to offer, people could pick up shifts.
Williams said with The Capitol shutting down, the owners group hopes to have something new in its place.
“It’s terrifying. really. We’re having daily meetings to discuss all of our clients that are shutting down either permanently or temporarily,” said Heise. “This stings a lot.”
Heise said he’s expecting to lose tens of thousands of dollars each week and is appealing to the provincial and federal government to help with the burden.
“Other than my wife going through cancer treatments, this is probably the most intense thing I’ve ever had to deal with,” said Heise.
Distributing beer to retail stores across the province helps supplement some, but not all, revenue lost from tap room visits.
“We have no safety net,” he said. It’s something of which John Hopkins, executive director of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, is well aware. Hopkins said monetary losses could be huge.
“Depending on how long it lasts, it could get into the millions,” he said. “This is going to have very significant impact as we move ahead.”
The unknowns make it hard to plan for any kind of response, especially amid fears of a looming recession spurred by the virus.
“These are very troubling times. I don’t see the end in sight. I don’t see the ray of light at this point.” But talks persist between Hopkins and governments.
In the meantime, Heise and other business owners are looking for any assistance to keep things going. “We are in a world of hurt. We need a hand. I’ve told every government official, ‘I don’t want a handout.’ I would say today I would like a my friends to get a handout.”
These are very troubling times. I don’t see the end in sight. I don’t the ray of light at this point.