Some bars and restaurants are closing indefinitely as Toronto on cusp of reverting to Stage 2 – blogTO

Some Toronto bars are now choosing to close their doors to drinkers indefinitely because of the rising COVID-19 case count andthe way resultant restrictions are impacting theirbusiness.

"We chose to close because of the worrying rise in COVID-19 cases in the city. Our priority has always been the health, safety, and enjoyment of our staff and guests so given the current climate, the only thing that made sense to us was to shut it down indefinitely," says Max Morin of Godspeed Brewery.

The brewery has closed its pub and patio indefinitely.

"We were also reading and watching a lot of frontline healthcare workers ask for tighter restrictions on bars and restaurants so we felt a need to do right by them as well."

Not all bars in the hard-hit industry have been so enthusiastic to volunteer to close their doors, many actively speaking up about the recent tightening of restrictions on bars including an 11 p.m. last call.

"Not every brewery, bar, or small business has the luxury to close for dine in like we have. We recognize that every business is different and think it's important to highlight the sacrifices other breweries have made since the start of the pandemic," says Morin.

"Many of our peers like Left Field, Muddy York, Bellwoods, the list goes on,have remained closed for service or opted to limit their service to patio only and we think that should be applauded, too."

Though it hasn't been mandated, some restaurants have chosen to voluntarilyroll back to closing for dine-in service, opting to stick to patio service or takeout only.

As for Godspeed, they have no set reopening date for their pub as of yet.

"It's hard to put terms on a reopening date given that we really don't know what this second wave or winter will bring. That said, a flattening of the curve or a vaccine would go a long way in making us feel compelled to reopen," says Morin.

"In the future, we'll always consider advice from Toronto Public Health before making any big decisions."

While Godspeed will remain open in a bottle shop and takeout capacity, Betty's has announced they're closing down entirely for the forseeable future.

More:
Some bars and restaurants are closing indefinitely as Toronto on cusp of reverting to Stage 2 - blogTO