As Stage 3 Eases Restrictions, Restaurants Concerned Over Labour Shortages

Jeff Green | Jul 14, 2021

Ontario enters Stage 3 of Reopening tomorrow, as restrictions that have limited gatherings for commercial, recreational, and leisure purposes will be eased across the province.

100 people will be able to gather for outdoor unsupervised events, and 25 people for indoor gatherings.

But organised outdoor sporting events will be able to welcome up to 5,000 spectators, up to 75% of the capacity of the venue, for unseated events and up to 15,000 for seated events.

Stores and restaurants will see capacity limits removed, but maintaining a 2-metre distance between people will remain in place, as will masking requirements, at least until September. Gyms, personal care settings, churches, and bars will all be able to reopen.

Movies, live theatre and music venues will be able to open at 50% capacity for up to 1,000 people.

Restaurants, which have been able to offer patio service, will be able to open for indoor dining, but locally in Frontenac County there will be some delays before that happens at some locations, mostly for staffing issues.

Sandra White, of The Sharbot Lake Country Inn & The Crossing Pub, said it will take some time, at least a week or two, for indoor service in the restaurant to return. The restaurant has been closed since the pandemic began. The Country Inn maintained take out service, with a limited menu, twice a week ever since. The patio opened 4 weeks ago on Thursday to Saturday Nights.

“A number of people who were working here, before the pandemic, have moved on to other employment and aren't coming back, so we need to recruit. Also, our menu needs to change. The price of food, cooking oil, everything has gone up so we will need to change our pricing. We will also be looking at our hours and days of operation,” she said.

She added that she is hopeful that in the fall and winter, the Country Inn will be able to offer shows from the top run of the Canadian roots music scene again, with a capacity limit of about 50, 30-35 less than the normal capacity of the room.

The Maples restaurant, across Road 38 from the Country Inn, is very busy at the moment with patio and take out service. Lorette Gray, who owns the Maples with her husband Phil, said that it will also take time to adjust to indoor dining, when they are already very busy and understaffed.

“We won't be able to open the dining room this week. It could take a week or two, if we can find the people we need,” she said.

Addison's Restaurant in Northbrook will likely serve customers in their indoor patio as well as the new outdoor patio they constructed in order to open a few weeks ago. They will likely bring back dining room service later in August or September.

Staffing is an issue there as well.