While some safety measures have eased, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect businesses across the province, and restaurants are among those that are struggling to stay afloat, says the owner of a popular Winnipeg eatery.
Scot McTaggart — who is also a director at Restaurants Canada — owns Fusion Grill on Academy Road, and told 680 CJOB there’s not much wiggle room at the best of times.
The recent announcement that acclaimed Osborne Village restaurant Segovia is shutting its doors permanently, he said, hits close to home.
“You know, the margins are very thin to start with. It’s very competitive out there.”
“Your sales drop 80 per cent. At Fusion Grill we’ve been lucky, we’ve been successful to bring that 80 per cent up to 50 per cent, but we’re still operating at 50 per cent of where we were. Good accounting practices tell you that you should have three months of nest egg tucked away. I mean, three months… we’re two months now. In one month, what’s it gonna look like? That scares me.”
Segovia is only the latest restaurant closure in Manitoba. In a social media post Wednesday, the tapas bar’s owners said it was a difficult decision.
“We will miss this little restaurant and cherish the memories that were made here. We are sad that we didn’t get to have a really good closing up party and that we served our last service without knowing that it was our last,” the post said.
“We are so proud to have been a part of Winnipeg’s inspiring culinary scene for over a decade.”The Instagram post currently has more than 1,000 comments from customers sharing their memories of the restaurant.While the restaurant had been planning to close this year before the pandemic, the hit to restaurants forced Segovia to close early, they said.
McTaggart warned it could be the first of many heartbreaks for Winnipeg foodies.
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“Don’t think that the restaurants are OK,” he said. “We’re not OK.
“Just because a couple of patios open or the dining room is going to open up with social distancing… our worst week in the last eight was the last week the dining room was open.
“So please continue to order take-out and delivery from your favourite little restaurants around Winnipeg.”
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