New era of food service lies ahead
Restaurateurs talk about industry post-pandemic as restrictions ease
DAVE JOHNSON THE WELLAND TRIBUNE
Pierre Kountouris misses the people the most. When not working on the line in the St. Catharines kitchen of the family-run Joe Feta’s Greek Village, he could be found alongside his sister, Cathy Kountouris-McCormack, greeting customers at they came through the front door. He would have a hearty handshake for some customers, others were hugged like close family members. With the Lake Street restaurant closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no more hands to shake, no more hugs to give out. There’s no more packed dining room noisy with customers chatting or waitresses shouting “Opa!” as they light steaming hot pans of seared cheese, called saganaki, sending flames into the air. “I miss seeing the people come in … we’re all about the people,” Kountouris said of the business that’s been in operation for three decades. He doesn’t know if he’ll be greeting customers the same way once his restaurant reopens. Or if it will even look the same. “I think we’re going to see a new era in food service,” he said. What that is, he’s not sure yet. Like restaurant owners across the province, he’s waiting to hear from the government, Niagara Region Public Health and LCBO on recommendations
and mandates to keep both customers and restaurant staff safe.
“There’s going to be massive changes. I can’t see the restaurant being full anymore. We haven’t been told by anyone, but I’m assuming we’d be starting at 25 to 30 per cent capacity.
“I don’t need a 2,000-squarefoot dining room if there are only 20 people in it.”
Kountouris wondered what seating would look like — would only two customers be allowed per table, or four per table? Would large families be allowed to sit together?
“Everyone will be nervous,” he said of both customers and restaurant staff.
He’s heard stories of restaurants in the U.S. where servers wear gloves and masks and bring food to tables on trolley carts, with customers taking the plates themselves.
“I don’t think that’s much of a dining experience. People go to places for great service and great food … you don’t want to eliminate that service element, that experience.”
In operation for 12 years on Port Colborne’s West Street is Canalside Pub and Eatery. Owner Greg Poisson knows when his business reopens it’s not going to be like it was.
Offering a view of ships from across the Great Lakes and the world traversing the Welland Canal, his restaurant is a busy place spring through fall, especially with a patio out front.
Poisson and his wife, Rosemari, also own Canalside Kitchen
Store and Canalside Inn, both hit hard by pandemic restrictions.
“We don’t know what kind of measures we are going to have to implement and things could be a lot more labour intensive for us. We’ll be cleaning tables the second people leave.”
Social distancing inside the restaurant will have to be taken into account. Poisson said a simple, cost-effective solution might involve installing clear shower-type curtains between tables, something that could easily be cleaned and washed daily.
“There may be fewer tables inside, but we won’t know until we get some guidelines,” he said, adding he knows there will be customers fearful of making a return to any restaurant.
He’s looking at paring down the menu as a way to cut costs and keep prices down for customers when he reopens.
One thing that could help, he said, is for the City of Port Colborne to make West Street more pedestrian friendly by shutting down one lane to traffic.
“There’s a big push on in Europe for this … it would help with social distancing. It’s something we should be looking at,” he said, adding it could be a boon to any West Street business.
John Clark, owner of Welland’s M.T. Bellies (where they promise Big Food! Big Fun!), said the question facing the restaurant industry is confidence.
“That’s the big unknown … the psychology of people,” said Clark, adding whether customers will return depends on their comfort level.
Restaurants putting new safety standards and best practices in place to protect customers, and staff, may be the only way to win back that confidence and be the deciding factor in people coming back.
What his Niagara Street restaurant will look like once the province eases restrictions is anyone’s guess.
“If I was a gambling man, I’d said we’ll be open late June or July.”
Clark said seating capacity could be cut in half for clear separations of at least two metres between tables. Hours and days of operation could change, along with the number of staff working each shift.
Clark is keeping an eye on other provinces to see what they do in terms of the restaurant industry, what works and what doesn’t.
“There are more questions than answers right now,” he said, adding nothing has come out of Queen’s Park as to what will be allowed for restaurants to reopen. “We don’t know what to expect.”
“There are more questions than answers right now. We don’t know what to expect.” JOHN CLARK OWNER OF M.T. BELLIES