Niagara Falls restaurant plans to bring back the carhop
A Niagara Falls restaurant plans to serve up a model from the past as a nostalgic way to adapt to dining restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19. The Continental Pancake house on Stanley Avenue will soon start offering a drive-in carhop service in its parking lot.
Carhops were commonplace in the 1950s and ’60s but eventually lost favour with the public.
That was until the global pandemic struck and restaurants were ordered to close.
“You have to think outside the box,” said owner Sandro Martino. “You have to be creative and innovative.”
Martino decided to add a drive-in carhop service to the menu after watching what was going on in the restaurant industry in other parts of Canada. Several provinces have eased COVID-19 restrictions and restaurants have reopened to customers, but only at 50 per cent capacity.
Martino realized that if and when Ontario follows suit, he’d have to come up with a way to address what is expected to be limited capacity regulations. The restaurateur recalled the novelty of A&W drive-ins. While the Continental Pancake House doesn’t have a patio, it does have a large parking lot.
A quick Google search put him in contact with a company that manufactures rubberized trays that easily affix to a car window. Martino has tried out the carhop idea on friends and family and feedback has been positive. Now, all he needs is the green light from the province to launch the new service.
“Our fingers are crossed,” he said.
The restaurant, which celebrated its 35th anniversary earlier this month, closed March 15 after the province ordered a shutdown of all non-essential services. The family-run business does offer takeout and curbside pickup, in addition to orders made through food delivery apps, but Martino said it’s still a struggle to stay afloat.
He predicts drive-ins will see a resurgence in Ontario as diners look for socially distanced avenues to dine out and restaurants search for ways to boost income.
Premier Doug Ford announced last week COVID-19 restrictions would be eased in some areas as the province enters the next stage of its economic recovery scheme. Niagara
was not one of the communities given the green light to reopen.
A further provincial announcement is expected today.
Martino, who took over the business from his parents several years ago, had recently completed renovations to the building to “freshen it up a bit,” and also gave the restaurant a presence on social media.
He was looking forward to the 2020 summer season, especially since the new 5,000-seat entertainment centre, located just down the street, was scheduled to open in April.
“I was anticipating the theatre was going to bring us to the next level … and then all this happened,” he said.
“I think this year is all about staying afloat and not getting too far back on your bills. I really feel sorry for the new businesses out there, those just staring out. I don’t know what’s going to happen to them.”