‘Everyone is happy to be back’: restaurant owners reflect on six weeks restriction-free

The owner of Zucchini Blossom is also happy to be serving guests inside again. Kristine Dalzell says it’s pretty fantastic so far.

“We are still at our limited seating capacity but people can sit down and everyone is happy to be back inside,” Dalzell said.

But the past year has been a whirlwind.

Even though small businesses have been some of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic, Dalzell says her staff were understanding when it came to temporary layoffs and cutting hours.

“Because of the size of the business, we found it a little bit easier to expand and contract as we needed to,” Dalzell said.

At Local, Waskalik says they complied with the regulations and adapted on the go.

“When it was patio only and the weather was inclement, we bought blankets to make sure people were warm and got extra heaters,” Waskalik said. “When we opened inside of course we sanitized and made sure everyone was safe, less chairs, less tables. Now that we’re fully open, it’s business as usual.”

It’s not just the regulars who owners are seeing.

With more summer tourists driving through the Hat, Dalzell is serving travellers she hasn’t seen in a long time.

“People that come across Canada and once a summer we see them, we missed them last summer,” Dalzell said. “But they’ve come back. We have tons of people coming from the highway and everyone is happy to be out.”

With public health measures ending next week and no potential closures looming, Local is preparing for a busy fall.

“We’re going to make it a sauna out there, hopefully serve on the patio well into November if there’s not a lot of snow,” Waskalik said.

by Teagan Rasche

‘Everyone is happy to be back’: restaurant owners reflect on six weeks restriction-free

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