Guelph’s Beertown location is going to reopen its doors after it was forced to shut down in March, just 10 days into operation due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Ontario government announced on Monday that Guelph can enter into Stage 2 of its reopening plan, which allows restaurants to serve guests on patios.
Jody Palubiski is the CEO of Beertown’s parent company, the Charcoal Group, and said four locations will open their patios on Friday, including the one at Stone and Edinburgh roads outside of Stone Road Mall in Guelph.
“We’ve been joking around saying this time it’s for real, let’s take it from the top,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Beertown Guelph opened on March 6 and Palubiski said it was glorious for those 10 days, but he had some mixed emotions.
“We came out of the gate super strong and we were thrilled with the reception, but I think we were open for six days when they started announcing school closures,” he said.
“We went back into work on Friday and it was jam-packed. Saturday it is was jam-packed and we’re kind of looking around thinking this feels a little bit odd.”
Premier Doug Ford then declared a state of emergency on March 17 which closed all restaurants in the province.
Palubiski said they began takeout and delivery at the restaurant this week, but they are now in a good position to reopen the patio.
“We had what was called the 96-hour rule so that when we get notice we need to be prepared to open within 96 hours and of course, there was a four-day warning, so we’re in great shape,” he said.
Beertown is taking reservations but will also try to accommodate walk-ins.
They are still putting the finishing touches on their patio, which was never completed after they closed in March, but they now hope to extend it out to the sidewalk.
The province has allowed licensed establishments to expand an existing patio without the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario requiring an application or a fee.
This will still need approval from city council, but Palubiski said he has had good talks with Mayor Cam Guthrie.
The patio can hold about 50 people while respecting a two-metre gap between tables, but Palubiski said they could get about eight more tables on the sidewalk.
“I’ve broken it down to if we can get eight more tables — for every eight tables I get in, I can bring seven more people back to work,” he said.
Palubiski added that they will do everything to make guests feel comfortable when they reopen because he already knows that they are not expecting to break revenue records by just opening their patio.
“We just want to get open, get people back to work, get the rust off and start serving people again. That’s what we’re here for,” he said.