A motion from a downtown Hamilton councillor could lead to the creation of “outdoor dining districts” throughout the city when the Province of Ontario eases coronavirus safety measures and allows restaurants to open back up.
Ward 2 councillor Jason Farr will bring the motion forward at next week’s council meeting in an effort to help Hamilton’s struggling restaurant sector.
“If we want to appreciate economic development for small businesses, which are really a large corporation when you add up all the people who work in the Hamilton restaurant industry — it’s over 18,000 people — there’s no shortage of foodie scenes all over our city that could benefit from this,” said Farr.
“It’s all about short-term recovery in an industry that’s completely decimated at this point.”
Farr likened the dining spaces to “outdoor food courts” situated near clusters of restaurants that would allow for customers to dine in a larger space that allows for physical distancing.
If city council approves the motion, those restaurants would be responsible for staffing and managing those communal spaces, which could be set up on nearby streets or parking lots.
It would be a temporary program as well, running during the summer and fall of this year when maintaining space in public settings will still be an important part of reducing the spread of the virus.
The province has yet to set a date for when restaurants and bars will be able to reopen, but Farr said the motion aims to give those businesses the physical space they would need in order to hit the ground running whenever that happens.
“Most don’t have the space to accommodate a short term comeback. It’s going to take some time because they’re going to be limited in the footprint they have now to afford the kind of capacity for a quicker comeback.”
Tracy MacKinnon, executive director of the Westdale Village BIA and the Stoney Creek BIA, said restaurants are welcoming anything that could provide relief at a time when the pandemic has caused them to lose up to 85 per cent in revenue.
It’s been a couple of years since Hamilton’s on-street patio program became permanent, and MacKinnon said this is essentially an expansion of that.
“It’s a great innovative idea with minimal cost, but would have huge, huge rewards, and really help the small businesses, especially in restaurant-heavy areas,” said MacKinnon.
Farr said restaurants don’t need to be part of a BIA to benefit from a program like this, as long as two-thirds of businesses within a block are on board.
“We want to be able to have a process that can get you back on your feet with the physical distancing and all the right health functions in place as soon as possible.”
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