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Restaurants back to take-out, patios only

Restrictions in place as of noon April 9

Restaurateurs are upset with the light-switch going off again because of COVID-19 protocols.

“A restaurant is not like a light-switch that can be turned on and off at will,” said Thomas John, owner of ChaCha John’s fusion kitchen on Stockton Avenue in Okotoks. “There’s procedures, emotions, mental health, a lot is involved. 

“Public safety is first and I 100 per cent agree with that. I would never want anyone to come into my restaurant and be impacted by COVID, that is the last thing I want.” 

ChaCha John’s and restaurants in Alberta closed their doors to in-house dining at noon on April 9 as Premier Jason Kenney announced on April 6 a return to some Step 1 restrictions as part of the Province’s Path Forward plan.  

It was the third time since March of 2020 restrictions of no in-person dining were put on Alberta restaurants.  

As of noon April 9, restaurants are restricted to curbside pickup and delivery service. Outdoor patio dining is allowed with restrictions.  

“We are taking strong action to stop the third wave from threatening our health system and the health of thousands of Albertans,” Kenney said in a press release on April 6. “The rapid rise in cases, especially variants of concern, makes this a critical time to stop the spread. These measures will buy us some time for additional COVID-19 vaccines to arrive and take effect so we can once again start safely easing restrictions as quickly as possible.” 

The benchmark for Step 1 is less than 600 or more hospitalizations from COVID. Although on April 5, there were 312 hospitalizations in Alberta, Step 1 restrictions were put in place the following day as both hospitalizations and active cases were increasing due in part to COVID variants. Decreasing active cases is a variable in going to the next step in lessening restrictions.

ChaCha John’s will offer take-out service as of April 9.  

It makes for tough decisions for restaurant owners and managers.  

“When the government says we have to close, I have to decide who I have to put on temporary layoff, whose hours do I need to change and what kind of promotions I need to do to bring customers (for takeout),” John said. “I am making decisions that might take weeks, a month in a couple days.” 

John said he feels restaurants have been unfairly targeted.  

“There are cleaning rituals that we have to follow on top of COVID and we have been doing this for decades,” John said.  “To come back at restaurants and say you can’t open because of COVID, is a bit of a slap in the face, we have been following these health and safety rules for decades. This is where the frustration comes from.”  

He said a patio in the parking lot is not an option. 

He added he is grateful for the support he has received from the Okotoks community.

“I am so blessed to be part of the Foothills community,” John said. “I think without the support network, I wouldn’t have made it.” 

The community support has been such that during COVID-19, he is in the process of opening a new restaurant, the Social Kabob possibly in May, at the former Rylie’s Cattle Barn in south Okotoks. 

One of the attractions for the restaurant was the already approved roof-top patio.  

He stressed it is important to Okotoks to have multiple restaurants to make the community economically viable.  

At The Canadian Brewhouse in south Okotoks, it will take advantage of its extensive patio, which features four large screens for sports and outdoor heaters. 

“We are planning to be fairly busy on our patio, which will stay open,” said Brewhouse general manager Sunny Johal. 

He said the popular sports bar, which has 55 TVs, has been able to maintain business since March, despite the two previous lockdowns.  

“It’s been a roller-coaster ride,” Johal said. “When there have been lockdowns it’s been really difficult. We aren’t really set up for takeout. We are a sit-down restaurant. The logistics of it is very difficult for us.  

“There’s also a mental health aspect – we all work here because we want to interact with people. Being in lockdown and only doing takeout and only seeing Skip drivers was really different for us.” 

After the initial lockdowns the Brewhouse installed Plexiglass and worked with Alberta Health Services to safely accommodate as many patrons as possible.  

“We were busy once we were allowed to be open,” Johal said.  

He said there will be extensive layoffs due to the latest restrictions. The restaurant retained all of its staff after the first two lockdowns.  

He admits it’s frustrating.  

“Absolutely,” Johal said. “We are a place that people want to come to. We are trying to provide the community with what they are asking for – a high-energy, active sports bar and we keep having to deny people that.” 

He said the Brewhouse has had to stop doing fundraisers at the restaurant for Okotoks area sports teams and other organizations. 

It had started showing Okotoks Oilers games to provide families a place to watch the Junior A team. (Those games will continue to be shown on the patio).  

“We really want to support the community and now we won’t be allowed to,” he said.  

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