As part of Ontario’s latest COVID-19 restrictions, many employees are required to work from home again and it means a loss in revenue at some restaurants that depend on the lunch-time rush.
“With no employees, nobody working downtown, it took a huge hit on us,” said Qasim Darsot, the owner of Ace Shawarma and Burgers located on King Street West.
He estimates 35 per cent of his restaurant’s revenue came from the lunch rush.
“We had about 30 seats in here that were full and we would have a line up right out the door,” he said. "There are a lot of guys downtown that we know really well and we know them really well so it’s a good connection to have.”
Darsot said without people coming from large offices like Manulife and the many startups around, he’s had to refocus his business.
“We are pushing that late night rush now, so we’re rescheduling more guys in the night time than we are in the mornings,” he said.
The restaurant also switched up its menu to cater for late night service.
Nearby at the Tannery, Abe Erb Brewing Company’s Kitchener location is temporarily closed. Its executive chef, Michael de Jonge, said that’s in part due to the lack of foot traffic during lunch.
De Jonge said there are many companies like Communitech, D2L and Google nearby that “would put us through the roof.”
Abe Erb remains open in Uptown Waterloo, but de Jonge said regular walk-ins brought in roughly 30 per cent of their revenue.
"It’s easier to just cook at home, you can take your break and go into the kitchen. But when you’re out, like let’s say you ran late in the morning, it’s like whatever, I’ll just buy lunch today. You don’t have that anymore,” he said.
Despite slow foot traffic, de Jonge remains optimistic the community will continue supporting local restaurants and pick up for lunch so they can get through this pandemic.
“A lot of restaurants are taking a hit but I hope I can speak for a lot of restaurants, we’re feeling tapped but we’re not tapping out,” said de Jonge.
