WATERLOO -- As restaurants across Ontario remain closed to indoor and outdoor dining, one advocacy group is calling on the government to offer more funding before more businesses go under.
Dan Dudack, the owner of the Java Garden in Waterloo, says the eatery isn’t usually open on holidays like Victoria Day, but had to make an exception this year.
“Under today’s circumstances we have to work as hard as we can to make ends meet,” he said. “We’re breaking even, or just a small loss. It is frustrating. I wish we had more backing and more help.”
Restaurants Canada, an advocacy group for the hospitality industry, says that without more help from the government, like an extension on wage and rent subsidies, more businesses could go under.
“About 80 per cent are breaking even or losing money right now,” said James Rilett, vice-president of the group. “Only about 20 per cent are making any money at all.”
He adds that seven out of 10 restaurants in Canada are currently losing money and will need at least a year to begin making a profit again, while 50 per cent of independent restaurants will likely have to close for good.
“That’s a long time to ask people to continue to scrape by,” said Rilett. “Many are just going to have to make the decision that they can’t survive.”
If Ontario’s reopening plan stays on track, patio season will kick off in mid-June, but for restaurants without a patio like Lin’s Garden in Waterloo, they won’t be able to seat customers inside until August at the earliest.
“Every month is a little bit less money because the rent and not too many people come in, so it makes money hard,” said owner Jian Wei Zhong. “I have family, I have two kids, so we have the house mortgaged and the car mortgaged.”
