Restaurants are reeling in code red

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2020 (1860 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The local restaurant industry is feeling the bite of the code red pandemic restrictions.

Alex Svenne, owner of Little Goat Food & Drink at 2615 Portage Ave., is worried that some restaurants won’t survive the critical level of the pandemic response system, which came into effect on Mon., Nov. 2.

“I am concerned that restaurants lost a lot of income during the first shutdown,” said. “Then they invested whatever they had or could borrow into reopening.”

Many restaurants put money toward expenses such as protective equipment, staff training and patios before they reopened at a limited capacity, he added.

“Restaurants that were open were barely creeping along. We were paying our staff and buying food but other bills were piling up,” he said.

“Before code orange and then code red was declared, we were building momentum — and then it all comes to a crashing halt. Restaurants rarely have deep pockets and don’t have the means to survive even a short closure.”

Business dropped by about 90 per cent after the code red restrictions came into effect, so Little Goat laid off about 20 people while maintaining only two staff members. They currently have limited work with takeout, catering and family suppers. Svenne said if Little Goat’s landlords and utility providers stay patient, the restaurant will survive.

“But any one of those people could decide to pull the plug and shut us down. Every restaurant is going through the same thing, and many are not as well-positioned to do takeout,” he said.

“If there aren’t any more supports for us, many restaurants will fail. If restaurants fail, that will have a massive effect province-wide. That means job losses for many people. It means losses in income for food suppliers, small farmers, artisanal producers, wine stores — anyone who supplies services to the restaurant industry.”

At the same time, Svenne supports the shutdown and believes that protecting the health of Manitobans is more important than anything else. However, he feels that problems also need to be fixed with testing capacity and backlogs for test reporting and contract tracing.

“I do not think the shutdown went far enough. It should have been announced much sooner. Too many people are still going out. Too many businesses are still providing opportunities for spread. Churches can still have 100 people attending,” he said.

“I think it is easy for the province to shut restaurants down. They see us as a frivolous luxury but forget that we are a huge employer of Manitobans. It will make me angry if we are being asked to make this sacrifice but this doesn’t do enough to stop the spread. Then our sacrifice would be in vain.”

To support Little Goat and other local independent restaurants, Svenne urges diners to order takeout — and lots of it. He also suggests contacting restaurants directly so they don’t lose 30 per cent to delivery services.

In addition, he encourages Manitobans to talk to MLAs, write letters to the premier, express their opinions on social media and lobby the government to support small businesses.

In an effort to support others during this difficult time, Little Goat is collecting donations to bring lunches to front-line workers at the Grace Hospital.

For a $10 donation, the restaurant will provide one worker with a bagged lunch that includes a salad, sandwich and sweet. To participate, call Little Goat at 204-254-4628 or send an e-transfer to alex@littlegoat.ca.

“We wait until we have enough donations and then we deliver lunch,” Svenne said.

“We put the donor’s first name on the lunch so that they can think nice things about you while they enjoy their sandwich.”

Little Goat also offers a weekly menu of family suppers, as well as make-at-home meals through its larder program. Soon, the restaurant will be selling gift baskets packed with its own products as well as items from local producers. As the holiday season approaches, it will be offering ready-to-cook Christmas dinners and a “work-from-home” holiday office party package.

For more information about Little Goat Food & Drink, including a takeout menu, visit www.littlegoat.ca