Winnipeg restaurants hold their breath as province promises tighter COVID restrictions

Already facing huge financial losses due to COVID-19, restaurant owners in Winnipeg are bracing for the worst as public health officials are promising tighter restrictions to handle an unprecedented spike in cases. 

On Thursday, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, said the province needs to look at more strict measures and broader restrictions will likely take effect early next week. 

"We're going to need to act to be able to bring down these numbers before continued escalation," Roussin said. 

Manitoba saw a record high of cases for the third day in a row on Thursday — with 173 cases announced and 133 of them being in Winnipeg. 

The test positivity rate also hit 4.9 per cent for the province and 5.8 per cent for Winnipeg.

Roussin said it's not likely the Winnipeg metropolitan area will be put into red, but limitations under the orange pandemic response level will certainly be tightened. According to the provincial website, that means the number of people at public food establishments such as restaurants, cafeterias and cafes could be subject to further occupancy limits. 

Under the red response level, restaurants can only do pickup and delivery service. 

The orange level was initiated in the Winnipeg region on Sept. 28, making masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces and putting a 10-person cap on gatherings. A cut-off serving time for bars and licensed restaurants was also later added.

Bracing to lose sales 

Lourdes Federis owns Foodtrip Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant on St. James Street in Winnipeg. 

Her restaurant, which opened in May, was originally built to accommodate 200 people. But with the pandemic, it's been operating at 30 per cent capacity to maintain social distance. 

Federis said she's not surprised stricter restrictions are coming. Since Winnipeg went into code orange, she's been bracing for her business to return to take out and delivery.  

"I wouldn't say it's not going to be hard. Of course, it's hard on the business, just in time where we're just starting to get back on our feet," she said. 

"But if it's something that will help reduce the number of cases … I'm OK with that." 

Federis said if the province imposes further restrictions, she could also lose out on her catering business. She said since July, they were booked every weekend to cater for small groups and parties again, which made up most of her sales.

"It will certainly affect us, but we're always hopeful," Federis said.  

Federis said she's considering launching a delivery service to ride out the storm and increase sales. 

She said her biggest worry will be paying for the shop's rent —  and hopes the province will step in with more relief programs if stricter restrictions are in place. 

"Where's the support? How are they going to help us out? I think that is really [where] the anxiety is coming from," she said. 

Restaurateur worries for staff 

Christa Guenther, owner of Feast Cafe Bistro, a restaurant serving First Nations food on Ellice Avenue, said her biggest worry is having to let go of staff. 

Guenther said recently she was able to rehire five full-time staffers and five part-timers for her small restaurant, which has seven tables and seats 22 people.  

"Just putting them through that, it's really tough… A lot of them have children and families and I think being at work gives them a purpose and a focus," she said. 

Guenther said she hopes the province won't shut down the dine-in service again, which would be devastating.   

"That's really most of our business right now is dine-in because our catering service is quite low and that's usually our bread and butter," said Guenther. 

Guenther said with this next wave of restrictions, she's considering launching a meal-kit program, where people can pick up ingredients and make them at home, but that would also require her to revamp her business again. 

"[It's] mentally, emotionally, physically exhausting... it's just risky. You don't know if it's going to be successful or not," she said. 

Guenther said she believes restaurants have been diligently following public health guidelines and hopes the province will consider that in its decision. 

"We're socially distant. There's hand sanitizer at the door. People are wearing their masks and restaurants are constantly spraying everything, the chairs, the walls, the salt and pepper, everything," she said.  

"I don't even know what's going to happen. I really feel for the hospitality industry," said Guenther.