What the end of patio season means for Sudbury's restaurants as COVID-19 drags on

What is feeling like an abrupt end to the summer weather has some Sudbury restaurants wondering what the winter months will hold as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

In the spring, restaurants across Sudbury scrambled to create or expand outdoor seating, following months of restaurant closures brought on by the pandemic. 

Patios, some of which spilled into parking lots this year, helped many businesses offer more physically distanced capacity and keep sales going.

Now, as the leaves begin to change, concern over what the colder months have in store is beginning to grow.

'Unexpected cold snap'

"We were able to add 12 seats to our patio because we were able to use part of our parking lot," said Leslie Van Denelzen, who manages the Dog House Sports Bar. 

"We did kind of get an unexpected cold snap, we were hoping for a little warmer fall season but so far, it's definitely gotten colder." 

Sue Peters is the owner of the Cedar Nest, a café and boutique on Cedar Street. She says while tries to remain positive about what lies ahead for her business in the colder months, it does cause her to worry.

We're northerners, and our customers are coming in and they're starting to wear their tuques and their warm jackets.— Leslie Van Denelzen, Dog House Sports Bar

"We did OK when we had the patio because we had double our capacity ... outside. Now — we're going back to half. So it's a concern," she said.

In an effort to extend the patio season, Van Denelzen said the bar she manages has purchased outdoor heat lamps. 

"We actually went out and purchased some tower heaters that we're using out there," she said.

"And you know what? We're northerners, and our customers are coming in and they're starting to wear their tuques and their warm jackets and the heaters are doing incredibly well for us." 

'We're kind of scared'

Peters said she's also been considering buying outdoor heaters but she's unsure how effective they will be in attracting business. 

"We've already seen a decline of people wanting to sit on the patio because it is chilly," Peters said.

"We're kind of scared and we're hoping that the added measures that we've put indoors, that people will still feel comfortable to come in and dine with us," she said, "Other than following the proper guidelines, with spacing, heightened cleanliness, you know things like that, there isn't much we can do once patio season is completely over." 

Canada's food service sector typically employs 1.2 million people, and prior to the pandemic, served 22 million meals a day across the country, according to industry data.

Statistics Canada recently released the results of a May survey on business conditions.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce crunched the numbers with a focus on restaurant operators, and concluded that 60 percent of participants don't expect to survive more than three months with the current physical distance restrictions in place.