A spokesperson for the industry says that restaurants still need help
This summer, the City of Ottawa might have your back if you like deep conversations over drinks that go on until the wee hours of the morning.
This week, a draft bylaw is being talked about that could make some changes that helped restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic permanent. For example, patios on sidewalks, on-street parking spots, and roads could stay open until 2 a.m.
Early in March 2021, council members voted to let restaurants and bars expand their patios and let those on municipal property stay open. This was done in part to bring new life to the hospitality industry, which had been struggling.
They also agreed to a plan that would let the city close streets so that the patios could be made bigger.
Sarah Chown, the Ottawa chair of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association, said that letting patios on municipal rights-of-way stay open late would help businesses that are having trouble with things like staffing shortages, less traffic, and inflation.
“It doesn’t have to do with the pandemic or, for downtown businesses, the convoy,” she said on Saturday. “But there are a number of other things going on at the same time that are making things worse for us.”
Chown also said she was disappointed that right-of-way patio fees could come back this year, even if they would only cost half of what they usually do.
Patio rules varie
The hours of patios in Ottawa used to depend on where they were, with some having to close at 11 p.m.
Those on private property, like the one at Metropolitain Brasserie, where Chown is a managing partner, weren’t affected by these rules, so they’ve always been able to stay open late.
She said that the current rules make “every business play on the same field.”
All patios still have to follow the city’s noise ordinances, and Chown thinks that the last few years show that extending patio hours isn’t making noise pollution all the time.
She said, “I don’t think we’re talking about having wild parties.” “We’re talking about people sitting around late at night with their friends, having a few glasses of wine and talking.”
Terry Fitzpatrick said he’s glad patio rules have become less strict because it let him add 20 more seats to his patio at Petit Bill’s Bistro when the pandemic was at its worst.
He said, “I wouldn’t say it saved the business, but it did save jobs because we needed more people.”
Fitzpatrick added seating to his own property, the sidewalk, and in front of his neighbor’s storefront with their permission.
The co-owner of the restaurant on Wellington Street W. hopes for a more normal summer season and said the extension is no longer needed, at least for his business.
He didn’t like how his tables were too close to the sidewalk, but he said that other restaurant owners may still think the changes are needed.
“On the other hand, we need to think about whether we’re also making things hard for the public.”
Thursday, the Transportation Committee will vote on the new right-of-way patio bylaw.