Sault Ste. Marie hotel operator wants alternatives to patio openings

 A prominent business owner in Sault Ste Marie is chafing against restrictions of the province's phase two of re-opening.

Jim Hilsinger, the owner of the Water Tower Inn in Sault Ste Marie, says the government's move to allow patios to open isn't nearly enough.

He said he's been losing $7,000 a week since the COVID-19 pandemic began. He wants to open his restaurant and pool, but said ongoing restrictions are unfair for those who have followed the rules to this point.

"You have to suffer longer. Losing money on your assets. You're not allowed to even try and break even," he said.

"It's been a long haul. We have to now rely on sensible business operators."

Hilsinger said he won't be opening his patio and will stick to offering rooms only until he is permitted to open his restaurant and pool.

Patios are 'risky business' in northern Ontario

He recently sent an open letter to the province, including MPP Ross Romano, as well as other related individuals and groups.

"Patios may be a good buzz feeling like 'a buck a beer'," he wrote. "However they won't support viability and sustainability of a restaurant business, even if they sell copious amounts of liquid without the 'heart of the house' ... the kitchens for cooking and the permanent seating filled with patrons all year long."

He pointed out that northern Ontario patios "are generally risky business in that they experience a lot of cooler weather, even during summer, insects and wind from the lakes. And although it sounds easy to set up tables over an expanded patio in a parking lot, professional restaurant owners will be reluctant to haul out their furniture to be potentially damaged in adverse weather conditions."

Hilsinger also noted that restaurant operators may not be able to control their operations under the patio-opening guidelines — citing that patio guests will enter to the main restaurant to use washrooms and pay bills, customers getting take-away foods will mix with the patio guests, and customers using curbside pick up will divert attention of staff who must deliver food orders.

"You might also imagine the chaos when weather rolls in and a downpour occurs and everyone heads for cover inside," he wrote. "Tell me now, are you operating a patio or a restaurant?"

Hilsinger is asking the province for restaurants and other small businesses to be able to operate by "managing occupancy limits as dictated by distancing regulations, not by occupying sidewalks and parking lots."