Patrons prefer eating outdoors despite Stage 3 rules: restaurateur
Patrons at the Blue Cactus respected physical distancing and mask rules, but still preferred the patio
The owner of a ByWard Market restaurant found that patrons followed the rules and respected COVID-19 precautions during Ottawa's first Stage 3 weekend, but largely preferred eating outdoors.
Blue Cactus Bar and Grill owner Bob Firestone said his customers followed appropriate physical guidelines, respected indoor mandatory mask rules and were generally "well-behaved and … [were] having a really nice time.
"I think that everybody who decided to go out, decided to go out to have a good time and … put a positive spin to what they're doing for the evening," he told Ontario Today host Amanda Pfeffer on Monday.
Nonetheless, Firestone said he was surprised to see more customers interested in sitting outside on the restaurant's patio, rather than dining indoors, which was allowed for the first time in months as of last Friday.
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"I thought that more people would like to dine indoors, but we didn't really fill up until later on in the evening, when the lineup for the patios was long," he said. "It appears the preference still is to dine outside."
Under Ontario's Stage 3 reopening framework, restaurants looking to provide indoor seating must take steps to ensure physical distancing, as well as ensure that patrons remain seated throughout their entire restaurant stay.
A maximum of 50 people — excluding staff — are allowed to be seated indoors, while a maximum of 100 people are allowed to congregate outdoors.
Additionally, according to Ottawa's temporary mandatory mask rules passed by city councillors last Wednesday, patrons must wear a face mask while indoors. That includes restaurants — patrons can only take off their masks while drinking and eating.
Stage 3 inspires couple's staycation
Christina Lofaro and her boyfriend jumped at the chance to plan a mini staycation in Kanata just as the province began its Stage 3 reopening. Lofaro works as a physiotherapist at Saint-Vincent Hospital and took advantage of a hotel offering a discount to to frontline workers.
"It was such a beautiful weekend to be out, " she said.
On Friday night the couple ate dinner on the patio of a Kanata restaurant, but admit that choice was only because the weather was nice.
"We weren't specifically going to a patio because of air circulation," she said.
They walked through a jazz bar to reach the patio and Lofaro said if it had been raining she would have happily sat inside instead.
Lofaro said she chose the restaurant because it was local and had good reviews that mentioned the precautions staff were taking, which is the way she plans to make her future dining decisions.
Security present, but interactions polite
The Blue Cactus hired security to assist with potentially large crowds, but interactions between security and patrons were polite and respectful.
"Security just spoke to people who are standing up and decided they wanted to walk around and socialize at other tables — whether it be in the bar area or on the patio," he said. "We just asked them very politely to please sit down."
As for concerns about reopening indoor dining facilities — specifically bars — expressed by organizations like the Ontario Medical Association, Firestone acknowledged there are concerns, adding that it's up to operators to determine whether they can handle reopening.
"We're all in this together and we do want to move forward and not backwards," he said.
Firestone said people who don't follow the rules may become ill.
"And I don't think anybody wants that, because everybody's happy right now, because things are starting to open up," he said.