Halloween is usually a big night for Richmond Row as large numbers of college and university students would normally flock to their favorite bar for the festivities. However, this year Richmond Row seemed quiet as this year students elected to stay in with their social bubbles to celebrate.
The Ontario government has tried to help small businesses by reducing rent costs through the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) benefit which ended in early September. But that might not have been enough, London has lost over 30 restaurants to the pandemic, including eight since CECRA ended.
The CECRA helped businesses by cutting their rent by up to 75% and the government would give landlords small loans to cover part of the missing rent. Landlords were put at a disadvantage because normal costs that would normally be covered by rent will have to come out of their pockets.
The City of London has also helped local restaurants by extending temporary patio rules until December 31st. Although this will help restaurants seat more customers, convincing people to sit outside might be hard during the winter. Restaurants will have to get creative to make their patios welcoming for when the snow hits.
In recent years we have seen the rise of third-party food delivery services and for Earl’s Kitchen and Bar it has helped stabilize their business. As it gets colder people may not want to go out as much, so food delivery will play an important part in keeping restaurants open.
A quiet Halloween on Richmond Row is worry-some for a lot of local restaurants and bars as it could be a sign of what to expect during the winter. Although London has lost several restaurants since the start of the pandemic. The City of London is trying to keep these places afloat but things might get worse before they get better for restaurants.
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