Restaurants in Okotoks are taking the familiar but precarious steps shifting to take-out this week.
In the latest batch of restrictions from the provincial government, effective Dec. 13, dine-in service is prohibited at restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes, but they may provide take out, curbside pickup and delivery.
Roger Tran, owner of Vietnamese restaurant Pho Hoai, has had nearly a year to iron out his system, as he hadn’t re-opened his establishment for dine-in eating since the start of the pandemic in March.
He said his loyal customer base has kept him afloat, albeit with a 20-30 per cent drop in sales over the last year.
“It doesn’t seem like much, but margins in the restaurant industry are extremely slim,” said Tran.
When Tran’s dining area was open prior to mid-March, eat-in sales accounted for 50 per cent of his revenue.
“At the beginning we were down a lot, but now it seems like people are eating out more,” he said
Even before the pandemic, Tran had enlisted the delivery service, Okotoks Delivery, which he said offers him a much more affordable option to signing on with services such as SkipTheDishes, UberEats, or DoorDash, with the added benefit of them being a locally owned outfit.
He said those app-based services take too deep a cut in his already diminished revenue.
“With us already being 20 or 30 per cent down in revenue, you tack 20 to 30 per cent on top and you’re down almost 50 per cent.”
The drop in revenue isn’t the only thing Tran misses. Contact-free delivery and socially distanced takeout solutions leave out the human interaction he enjoys as a restaurateur.
“We miss talking to the people that come in and sit here and chatting with them for a bit,” he said, adding that he hopes the situation improves in coming months.
Some restaurants, however, have chosen to go with the app-based delivery services, including Plaka Greek Taverna, which uses SkipTheDishes.
Andreas Tsioros, who co-owns Plaka with his brother Christos, said while the app expands their customer-base and exposure, the steep fees make it a double-edged sword.
“In one way, it's good because it gives us more exposure,” Tsioros said. “But on the other hand, it does dig into the profits, because with restaurants, especially smaller places, like family-owned restaurants your profit margins aren't that great to begin with.
"And when you're talking 23 per cent off? Well, it's almost a wash at that point.”
Tsioros concede that he uses and enjoys the convenience of the app.
“Even myself, I kind of like enjoy using apps to order food, because it seems like so easy and quick,” he said. “It's one tap away and food is at your door in like half an hour.”
The Greek brothers feel much more prepared going into this second period of restrictions.
“We feel less scared. There's less trepidation of the unknown,” Tsioros said. “The first time around, there was definitely a kind of a panic, but after seeing how the customers supported us the first time around, we're definitely less scared.
“The town really got behind supporting us, and I'm sure the other little smaller restaurants around the place."
He added that there was a silver lining coming out of the first lockdown: several customers who had newly discovered them on the app came to dine in.
On Dec. 10, in response to recent restrictions, SkipTheDishes issued a press release announcing support for small businesses by way of reduced fees and flexible options.
These include a 25 per cent rebate on commission for local, independent restaurant, a zero per cent commission rate for new restaurants joining during the restriction period, and a reduced commission of 10.5 per cent when restaurants utilize their own delivery staff while still accessing SkipTheDishes’ app and customer base.
They also give an option to give a tip that will be paid entirely to the restaurant, and according to the press release, have paid out over $1.2 million in tips directly to establishments through the program.
Headquartered in Winnipeg, SkipTheDishes states on its website that it employs over 2,700 people across the country.
Restaurant owners aren't the only ones turning to delivery as table-service goes out the door.
One Okotoks waiter, who wished to remain anonymous to protect the relationship with her employer, will no longer get shifts from her establishment until the lockdown measures are lifted.
To make ends meet, she has taken on shifts with SkipTheDishes.
She concedes that it will be a drastic pay cut from tending tables, but it lets her continue to bring money into her household.
“It’s quite a big pay cut. Plus, I'm adding gas and mileage to my car as well,” she said.
The waiter-turned-delivery driver is supportive of the measures, however, but wishes they could have been better timed.
“I'm surprised we didn't do it earlier. I guess maybe we could have been open for Christmas,” she said.
“But hey, that's where we are, so Round 2. Just got to do it again.”
