Restaurants concerned over the impact of provincial restrictions

“Masking is a pretty simple thing to put back in place,” Petersen stated. “As far as the other restrictions, that’s going to be something else entirely.”

battlefordsNOW received clarification from the Ministry of Health that full proof of vaccination will be required on October 1. This means individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose. Employees at establishments with public access must also meet that requirement.

Restaurants like Blend were already hit hard during lockdown measures and others restrictions. (file/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Petersen said it’s frustrating that they’re impacted to a greater extent than many other public places, given the emphasis of these restrictions give the impression that restaurants are a dangerous place to be.

“You come in, it’s not a space you’re sharing with a ton of people and everything is sanitized, yet we’re the ones that get [the stricter measures],” he said. “I know there’s customers that won’t be going out anymore because of it and that’s going to hurt us for sure.”

“It’s not my personal opinion, it’s just a fact that this is going to be difficult for us.”

Petersen said he isn’t sure what they can do until more guidance is available from public health and hopes that the restrictions are relaxed by Christmas, which would allow for events to take place during the holiday season.

“We have a whole catering side of our business that has been non-existent because of this,” he said. “It’s going to be hit for sure if things aren’t opened up.”

Making the best of a bad situation

In the meantime, owners of restaurants, café’s and bars are working to control what they can.

(The Cup Café & Bakery)

Rachel Bunnell, Owner of the Cup Café & Bakery in North Battleford, said they also weren’t shocked by the announcement, adding that they have to stay optimistic while the province tries to keep people safe. Given their smaller size, Cup Café has kept many elements in place, including barriers and seating arrangements.

“A lot of people were starting to wear the masks anyway,” she said. “So, that’s manageable. The [vaccination proof requirement] is going to be a lot more in terms of figuring out how to govern that.”

Bunnell said they will have to continue to utilize last year’s additions that allowed customers to make purchases without eating in the building.

“We do have takeout and a drive-thru,” she said. “We also have outdoor dining, but come October, it’s less likely people will want that.

On the enforcement side, Bunnell was also optimistic that they can manage the rules that will be put in place, given people who regularly gave the business patronage weren’t difficult to deal with.

“Our customers are usually pretty compliant with everything,” she said. “We haven’t had problems and I would hope we don’t see that in the future.”

However, she still holds concerns about the near future, given the inevitable effects on her business that will occur. Previous restrictions of masking, size gatherings and more had a direct impact on sales.

“For example, we found that custom cake sales had some postponing, others were outright canceled,” Bunnell noted. “There is that definite concern, but I hope to not see that drop.”

What will ultimately become the biggest factor of how restaurants fare is the customers buying their services.

“You have to try to be hopeful,” Bunnell said. “Drive-thru does help and people in the Battlefords are very supportive in shopping local.”

(The Cup Café & Bakery)

The province is expected to supply more direction on the vaccine or negative test requirements after the federal election on Monday.

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josh.ryan@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports

by Josh Ryan

Restaurants concerned over the impact of provincial restrictions

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