NAC's restaurant, 1 Elgin, to shut down temporarily

20 staff members will be laid off as new restrictions ban indoor dining

The National Arts Centre's restaurant, 1 Elgin, is shutting on Saturday and temporarily laying off 20 cooks, servers and dishwashers because of the latest COVID-19 restrictions that ban indoor restaurant dining in Ottawa.

“We made the tough decision to temporarily close our 1 Elgin restaurant ... until we can operate again under changed conditions that will create a positive experience to our patrons,” says an email sent Thursday to staff from Nelson Borges, the NAC's general manager of food and beverage, and Kenton Leier, the NAC's executive chef.

While 1 Elgin closed in midMarch because of the novel coronavirus, it reopened in late June and had a better summer season than expected thanks to brisk business on its patio, Borges and Leier wrote. The NAC also hosted small weddings this summer and sold out its Chef's Table events held in collaboration with RBC Bluesfest.

Two weeks ago, the Ontario government banned indoor dining at restaurants in the province's pandemic hot zones, one of which is Ottawa, for at least 28 days. The NAC bolstered its patio service at 1 Elgin, but with less than satisfactory results. “With patrons only permitted to dine outside, we added outdoor heaters and blankets but the fall weather has not cooperated and our guests are now few and cold,” says the email.

In an interview Friday, Borges said the cold weather expected next week was another factor in the decision to close. “I just don't see anybody having dinners outside,” he said. He added that he hopes to upgrade the canopy outside 1 Elgin to lengthen the spring and fall patio seasons in 2021.

Just as the NAC's artistic programming has migrated online with the closure of its premises, the restaurant plans to offer some online cooking classes, Borges said. He hopes that by mid-November, 1 Elgin will be offering meal boxes to go, sold to home cooks who would then video conference with Leier as he guides them in preparing a three-course meal.

Earlier this week, the popular Centretown diner Wilf & Ada's announced it would close until indoor dining is again permitted.