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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Patio-goers feel under the weather

However, local eateries, bars ring up more sales

By: Murray McNeill

Posted: 07/2/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

David Giroux has been serving fewer pints on the patio at the Kings Head tavern in Market Square thanks to chilly and wet weather. (PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

It's high noon on a warm, sunny day in downtown Winnipeg and Blaine Coughlin is in his glory.

Like many Winnipeggers, Coughlin looks forward each year to the arrival of the summer patio season, and Tuesday was one of those perfect patio days -- sunny and warm, but not too hot.

Those days have been few and far between this spring, much to the chagrin of customers such as Coughlin, who was enjoying his lunch on the patio of The King's Head Pub and Eatery on King Street, and restaurateurs such as David Giroux and Bryson Maternick.

Giroux is an assistant manager at the King's Head, and by his count, there were only five good outdoor patio days last month in Winnipeg.

"Normally in June we have 25 good-quality patio days," Giroux said. "But this year it's been the exact opposite. If it's not raining, it's cold, and that really affects the outside business."

Maternick, owner of The Lineup bistro on nearby Albert Street, said Exchange District businesses need nice weather to help attract customers to the area, and the weather this spring has been the worst he's seen in the seven years he's been operating his restaurant.

"Normally, (pedestrian traffic) starts to pick up in May, but it just hasn't been hot enough," he said. "But hopefully in July it will kick in."

But despite the lousy patio weather and the recession, Giroux and Maternick said their sales have held up well.

"Business has been good," Maternick said. "It's been pretty much normal."

New Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday show that was certainly the case in April, when Manitoba's bars and restaurants rang up the second biggest monthly increase in sales in the country.

The province's food and drinking establishments tallied $119.8 million worth of sales for the month, which was a 2.5 per cent increase from March's total of $116.8 million.

The increase was second only to Nova Scotia's 2.7 per cent gain, and was more than a full percentage point better than the national increase of 1.3 per cent ($4 billion compared to just over $3.9 billion in March).

It also halted a two-month trend that saw sales decline modestly in Manitoba in both February and March.

The chairman of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association said it's been a pretty good year for the local food services industry.

"We're holding our own," James Allardice, who owns the Boston Pizza restaurant in Selkirk, said in an interview. He said some restaurant chains, including Boston Pizza, have seen an increase in sales this year: "We're in an industry that always wants to see its sales grow... and some chains are not seeing those increases."

"But we're in an economic downturn, so you have to expect that to some degree. Hopefully, the summertime will see a bounce up for everybody."

Allardice said the cool, wet weather was both a blessing and a curse. While it put a damper on patio business, it helped boost indoor business in many instances: "When the weather is lousy, people don't barbecue. So our dining rooms and restaurants can fill up a bit."

Coughlin, meanwhile, said he plans to take advantage of any upcoming patio days. "If the sun is out, I'll be trying to find myself an umbrella and a seat," he said.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

EVERY province but Quebec saw an increase in sales by food and drinking establishments in April, according to Statistics Canada figures. Here is a comparison:

Province % increase/

decrease

from March

Newfoundland/Labrador +0.8

Prince Edward Island +0.8

Nova Scotia +2.7

New Brunswick +1.0

Quebec -0.3

Ontario +1.9

Manitoba +2.5

Saskatchewan +1.7

Alberta +0.4

British Columbia +1.9

Canada +1.3

Here are Manitoba's sales for February, March and April, with the month-over-month percentage increase/decrease in brackets:

February $117.9 million (-01)

March $116.8 million (-1.6)

April $119.8 million (+2.5)

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 2, 2009 B6

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