Why some P.E.I. restaurants are in no rush to reopen their dining rooms

Some Island restaurant owners say they are in no rush to reopen their dining rooms — even though they were allowed to as of June 1 — because they want to make sure it can be done safely. 

As part of Phase 3 of the province's Renew P.E.I. Together plan, indoor dining is now permitted, with up to 50 persons permitted inside, and more on a patio.

But some business owners say they aren't yet ready for that to happen.

'We were a little scared'

"We were a little scared," said Robert Gallant, owner of Michael's Pizzeria in Summerside, who only recently reopened his business for takeout and delivery, and has no firm date set for reopening his dining room. 

"Especially with New Brunswick, what was happening there, we just felt that, you know, we were so busy with the takeout and delivery that we didn't feel that the dining room needed to be open right away anyway."

He said for now the dining room has been reconfigured to allow people to wait at a safe distance for their takeout orders.

Staff at the restaurant have been so busy with those orders, he said he doesn't have the staff — or the room — to serve any additional customers right now. 

"Our customers, I'd love to be able to have them come into our dining room," said Gallant. 

"But...I want them to feel safe and I want them to be able to be properly entertained and properly served when they get here. So I've got to make sure that all those elements are in place before I decide to open it up."

Modifications delay opening for some

At Maid Marian's in Charlottetown, they've been offering takeout since March 17, and renovations were planned to wrap up in time for the initially-announced start of Phase 3: June 12. Co-owner Stephanie Drake said, once that date was changed to June 1, there was no way to get the work, including modifications to seating and installation of Plexiglas, done on time.   

"Well the biggest thing for us is the traffic flow," said Drake. "We are very busy and we have a lot of people that come through the door, so the door is a huge issue on a normal day. And then you throw COVID into that, it's really changed things drastically."

She said even with takeout orders and tremendous support from loyal customers, sales are down 70 per cent and modifications needed due to COVID-19 have almost doubled her renovation costs. She hopes to reopen her dining room on June 12, as originally planned. But she said it simply won't happen until the space is ready. 

"The most important thing is making sure everybody's safe, that's the number one priority. So in the meantime, takeout windows keep going," said Drake. 

Some of those who have chosen to reopen their dining rooms, are limiting their hours, out of caution, and the uncertainty that remains when it comes to COVID-19. 

'Take it slow and do it right'

"We wanted to just take our time, and take it slow and do it right," said Alex Clark, owner of Evermoore Brewing Co, in Summerside, who plans to open Wednesday with limited hours and reassess in two weeks. 

"Because I really don't know what to expect, not just business-wise but I guess pandemic-wise, there's so many unknowns that we're walking into that I just want to take things slow and one week at a time." 

He said it's not just cleaning and distancing that restaurant owners need to keep in mind as they reopen, it's whether they'll be able to offer their staff enough work.

"I know my staff had some security during all this through those [government] programs, and if I open things up, you know, wide open, and I don't have the hours for them, or the income for them, I jeopardize those security blankets."

He said for now, with many people still working from home, and visitors not yet allowed on the Island, he'll keep his hours reduced until he's able to get more feedback from customers. 

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