Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)

[Northern Light]

...and cue the restaurant industry complaining that a lack of indoor dining during the statistically slowest time of year for them (when staffing and sometimes hours of operation are cut dramatically every year), leaving them only with delivery, takeout and outdoor dining is going to "destroy the industry".

I'm tired of the whining.

The restrictions on take-out booze have no epidemiological sound basis and clearly further aggravate economic injury to bars.

Any person or business has at least the right, if not the obligation to complain, loudly, about restrictions which cause them harm, and which produce little or no value.

 

[zang]

Ok.....hold on...............we all know I dislike illogical restrictions............

I like science and evidence.....

But.....rather than revisit that issue writ large, I just have to point out what jumps off the page at me:

[…]

But if the risk-profile of said patio dining was low (safe) at 9pm, I see no logic why it becomes unsafe at 11pm.

This rule has always been a logical one based on consumption habits. Bars generally do their briskest business after 10pm, and the later you go into the night, the more alcohol will be imbibed, leading to riskier and risker behaviour (drunks wanting to sex it up, people wanting to "take the party home", etc.)

It's a risk-management thing.

That said, it's just stupid that outdoor patios are being allowed period, when Omicron outdoor risk is higher in general. The government has been terribly lax in enforcing properly ventilated patio restrictions and fining those who break it, and I don't see that suddenly getting better.

In other places, they're taking outdoor transmission more seriously.

Paris reintroduces an outdoor mask mandate. (Published 2021)

With more than 2,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, the capital has become the center of France’s spreading Omicron outbreak.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Northern Light]

This rule has always been a logical one based on consumption habits. Bars generally do their briskest business after 10pm, and the later you go into the night, the more alcohol will be imbibed, leading to riskier and risker behaviour (drunks wanting to sex it up, people wanting to "take the party home", etc.)

It's a risk-management thing.

That said, it's just stupid that outdoor patios are being allowed period, when Omicron outdoor risk is higher in general. The government has been terribly lax in enforcing properly ventilated patio restrictions and fining those who break it, and I don't see that suddenly getting better.

In other places, they're taking outdoor transmission more seriously.

Paris reintroduces an outdoor mask mandate. (Published 2021)

With more than 2,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, the capital has become the center of France’s spreading Omicron outbreak.

www.nytimes.com

You've lost the thread..........risky behavior at bars, indoors, is already restricted by an indoor dining ban.

Takeout sales do not have the same risk profile.

****

If indoor sales are permitted, then there is an argument to be made; though one I would argue that is better addressed by capping the number of drinks a patron may order. (say 2); as well as by capacity limits.

Those same restrictions can be applied to any open patios.

 

[gabe]

...and cue the restaurant industry complaining that a lack of indoor dining during the statistically slowest time of year for them (when staffing and sometimes hours of operation are cut dramatically every year), leaving them only with delivery, takeout and outdoor dining is going to "destroy the industry".

I'm tired of the whining.

You obliviously haven't worked a day in the restaurant business. Some cities might see a slow down in January, but big cities like Toronto, trust me, there is no slow downs, if anything some restaurants do better in January than July, as summer months people BBQ and travel. They have every right to complain. Tens of thousands of workers rely on the entertainment and restaurant business to put food on the table and pay rent.

Bars and resturants across the province only have 36 hour notice. They will now have to throw food and thousands of dollars worth of beer out. ( beer store doesn't take empty kegs back, but some craft breweries do)

 

[zang]

You obliviously haven't worked a day in the restaurant business.

Worked at One and Sassafraz, for Jamie Kennedy Kitchens in catering, spent time as a long-term stagiere in other kitchens like Nota Bene, Auberge du Pommier and Scaramouche, and graduated with honours from GBCs Culinary Management program.

You obviously like to look like you don't know what you're talking about.

So your experience in the biz is?

Some cities might see a slow down in January, but big cities like Toronto, trust me, there is no slow downs, if anything some restaurants do better in January than July, as summer months people BBQ and travel.

Certainly never been the case in my time working in the industry, nor backed up by any data I can find anywhere. Care to share where you get that from? July-August are also slow, but benefit from summer tourism to make up some of what they lose from locals going on Vacay. If anything, Toronto's summer slowdown is less than other places.

The only time the industry might see a bump before Valentine's Day is Super Bowl, and that's almost entirely bars.

They have every right to complain. Tens of thousands of workers rely on the entertainment and restaurant business to put food on the table and pay rent.

I was one of those. January was dead, period. Cooks were routinely sent home after 3 hours of work (or less, if the Chef could get away with it), and cooks who worked 50-60 hours a week were lucky to get 35. Cooks often schedule their vacation time in January for this very reason, and often renovations and revitalizations are done during this time.

Bars and resturants across the province only have 36 hour notice. They will now have to throw food and thousands of dollars worth of beer out. ( beer store doesn't take empty kegs back, but some craft breweries do)

Yeah, that sucks, but:

a) Restaurants aren't closed completely; only to indoor dining. Takeout, Delivery and Patio are still doable. If you aren't doing at least takeout and delivery two years into this pandemic, you haven't been paying attention to where the money is.
b) I guarantee you, unless these businesses are run by complete newbs, they know this is the slow time of year and have ordered accordingly.

 

[zang]

You've lost the thread..........risky behavior at bars, indoors, is already restricted by an indoor dining ban.

Check my quote; I was responding to your comment on patios.

Takeout sales do not have the same risk profile.

Depends on the quantity being taken out. Someone buying 24 takeout beers at midnight isn't likely to be buying just for themselves.

 

[Northern Light]

Depends on the quantity being taken out. Someone buying 24 takeout beers at midnight isn't likely to be buying just for themselves.

No less true if they but them at 10pm, which remains legal.

 

[zang]

No less true if they but them at 10pm, which remains legal.

Of course, but that's on the government for not putting a limit on takeout alcohol to begin with. No doubt, as with much of what Ford does; the time limits were a backdoor, bare minimum way for them to force-but-not-force bars and restaurants to close without actually mandating that. That said, time restrictions are backed by sound social engineering and have been implemented in many places by governments less inept.

 

[Bayer]

Scratchy throat this morning after going to the LCBO and got a positive rapid test... I have been using FFP3 (N99) masks for months. Triple vaccinated, no socializing, no restaurants, no parties, I hadn't even been out of the apartment in 3 days! At the time I spent a minute in the elevator with someone who rushed in without a mask, apologized and put his mask on. No matter how careful you are, you can't control other people's behaviour.

 

[gabe]

Worked at One and Sassafraz, for Jamie Kennedy Kitchens in catering, spent time as a long-term stagiere in other kitchens like Nota Bene, Auberge du Pommier and Scaramouche, and graduated with honours from GBCs Culinary Management program.

You obviously like to look like you don't know what you're talking about.

So your experience in the biz is?

i never worked during a pandemic, it's a whole different industry now. I spent 5 years in Toronto at Hilton/Soho hotels. 2 years in Montreal, worked at three restaurants. 2 years in Guelph running a bar and one year in Waterloo. We never had slow downs for dinner, lunches yes, but the weekend crowd made up for the loss. Conventions/ corporate dinners made up for the loss of tourism. Bar business was surprisingly busy during the winter months in my experience. Thanks to after work office crowd and hockey fans.

My BF and his brother own a strip mall in Brampton. Which has a couple of restaurants as tenants, which struggled to pay rent last shut down. I will be surpsied if the one place doesn't shut down soon. although its a crappy corporate chain which doesn't help the guys business. I think it would close even if there was no pandemic.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From the Premier's office...

From link.

 

[gabe]

Scratchy throat this morning after going to the LCBO and got a positive rapid test... I have been using FFP3 (N99) masks for months. Triple vaccinated, no socializing, no restaurants, no parties, I hadn't even been out of the apartment in 3 days! At the time I spent a minute in the elevator with someone who rushed in without a mask, apologized and put his mask on. No matter how careful you are, you can't control other people's behaviour.

Wow scary. I know more people sick with covid now than ever before. Thankfully they are all doubled vaxxed.

Last week i saw more than a few maskless idiots on a packed TTC bus. One guy had a mask on, but kept pulling it down to sip his coffee.

 

[Bayer]

Wow scary. I know more people sick with covid now than ever before. Thankfully they are all doubled vaxxed.

Last week i saw more than a few maskless idiots on a packed TTC bus. One guy had a mask on, but kept pulling it down to sip his coffee.

I know, just this weekend, 4 people I know caught it, all with very mild symptoms fortunately.

 

[Videodrome]

So my wife's daycare is closed until the 11th and she is home in addition to the kids doing online school for at least two weeks....

 

[vic]

Scratchy throat this morning after going to the LCBO and got a positive rapid test... I have been using FFP3 (N99) masks for months. Triple vaccinated, no socializing, no restaurants, no parties, I hadn't even been out of the apartment in 3 days! At the time I spent a minute in the elevator with someone who rushed in without a mask, apologized and put his mask on. No matter how careful you are, you can't control other people's behaviour.

Good luck, @Bayer. I hope your symptoms remain mild and that you're back to health soon.