Plan to allow eateries to expand patios could save many businesses, restaurateur says

For one Toronto restaurant owner, a plan by Mayor John Tory to allow restaurants to expand their patio space onto city sidewalks and streets may be the only hope to save her Little Italy business, after the battering it has taken from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anita Mancuso, owner of Sotto Voce Wine and Pasta Bar at 595 College St., thinks the city could close down a lane of traffic to create more space for restaurants once they are permitted to open for more than takeout and delivery. Physical distancing to ensure safety of patrons and staff would be part of the plan.

With many restaurants and cafes along College Street, in particular, the plan makes sense, she told CBC Toronto on Wednesday. The plan might take away some parking, but with fewer people driving their cars right now, parking is easier to find, she added.

At the very least, Mancuso said she would like to use some of the sidewalk.

"This week, I am struggling to figure out how we're going to keep the doors open. I honestly can't think of how we're going to keep going," said Mancuso, who runs the business with her husband. 

"I'm not going down without a fight, so I'll take anything. I would love to open the patio. But it has to extend."

The restaurant has already laid off all of its staff — "I can't bring them back" — and has taken advantage of all government programs it can. Initially, it was traumatizing, then there was a month of repainting and fixing, but now, the longer it goes on, the harder it is, she said. 

Under normal circumstances, Sotto Voce can fit 12 tables on its patio. The tables are normally four inches apart, "very New York style." She said the revenue she makes on the patio pays for the whole year.

Normally, the patio would have tables tight together, with fire pits for warmth on cooler nights and a few comfy couches. The patio can seat 24 people.

"Big groups that don't know each other are able to sit cozy all together around either of the fire pits," she said. "It's meant to be really comfortable, sitting with people you don't know. And you meet people you don't know. Everyone talks to everyone. That's the success of this place. It's the same inside."

'5 tables cannot support the rent in this city'

But if the city eventually allows restaurants to open their patios with physical distancing guidelines in place, Mancuso said she would likely be able to fit only about five tables on her patio at half capacity, even though the patio is bigger than the restaurant.

"It just doesn't work. Five tables cannot support the rent in this city."

However, more patio space would mean more tables, and Mancuso said she really needs the city to allow her to expand her outdoor seating area. If tables were spaced six feet apart over a larger area, it might work.

"There's no reason why tables couldn't go the length of my restaurant here. I could probably get three or four tables in," she said while standing outside on the sidewalk.

"It definitely can't hurt. We would take it and embrace it because we don't have an alternative. And there aren't any other new alternatives or initiatives coming. If they are going to allow us to do patios, we have to be able to do them the best we can, with safety in mind, for staff, for our patrons."

At a daily news briefing on COVID-19 on Wednesday, Tory said he is considering the move.

Mayor has asked staff for locations where plan could work

The mayor has asked city staff from Transportation Services to identify areas where restaurants could expand their patio space as part of his overall recovery plan.

"What I have asked the city staff to come forward with is areas of the city that would be appropriate to take up road space and sidewalk space. We have had some success on King Street obviously with the King Street pilot," Tory said.

The mayor said he hopes to have a list of locations soon and he believes the expansion would be useful in the recovery period.

"I think not only could this provide us with a more enjoyable summer ... but I also believe that it could be a lifeline for some of our restaurants and especially in light of the fact they will probably be required to have tables both inside and outside that are spaced further apart," Tory said.

"I think we can sweep away some of the red tape and get this done as a way of making the city even more friendly for everybody but also for our hard-working friends in the restaurant business."

As for Sotto Voce Wine and Pasta Bar, it marked a milestone on May 1, its 20th year in business. Mancuso said she has gone through all the "hills and valleys of everything" in two decades.

"For two years, I've been planning this huge street party, all our clients, 20 years, big white ball. It didn't exactly go that way," Mancuso said.

With COVID-19, not only is there no party, but there are also no customers allowed to dine inside. The restaurant offers takeout and a patron made a sign for the restaurant to advertise that fact.

It's not over yet, however, and Mancuso said she will wait to see what the mayor proposes.

"They have to do something, or none of us are going to survive."