There is no other business that has been hit harder by the pandemic than Restaurants. The constant changing restrictions and indoor dining opening and closing have left them scrambling to survive. With the restaurants now being open for indoor dining with 50 percent capacity, there has not been a better time all year for them to be available for business. Sports events like the Super Bowl, the looming NHL playoffs, the Olympics, and the OHL’s return to play have given London restaurants a chance to take advantage.
But before we dive into how the restaurants are doing and what they are planning, I asked Damian Biffy, a man who consistently visits restaurants to watch sporting events, why they are so important to fans.
“Sports bars are important because people can go there, get the food that they’ve missed, and enjoy watching their favorite sports games on pretty nice TVs. They can also enjoy that atmosphere with their friends. I think people miss that. You can feel like you’re at the game and feel like you’re there live with your friends. Also, your local sports bars can improve your local economy and supply jobs to residents of your city or town. We haven’t been out in a while. It’s important to get out enjoy life because at the end of the day, life is very short, and you must enjoy it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_9k7ON5IAM
A sports fan needs that particular sports bar to complement that sweet event coming up. The Squire in London is one of those bars that can be that spot, and their manager, Chris, shares how his bar is doing.
“You know, we had our first taste of the action, if you will, on Friday night with 500 fans at Budweiser Gardens. But, it may as well not be an event. So normally, on a Friday night when there’s a Knights game, we’re full for dinner. So, we’ve got about 50 seats at half capacity, and we had two tables for dinner. So, you know, we’re not back as far as my business is concerned. We’re still in lockdown.”
Despite the struggles, Chris is planning some big things for the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.
“We’re selling tickets, I think for $25, and we’ll give prizes away. We’ll do chili and other appetizers and try to draw people in. But I’ll be honest with you over the years in the bar industry, specifically, as you know, I consider us a sports bar. The Super Bowl has been a challenge. Monday Night Football used to be a big thing with bars. It’s not so much anymore with everything that’s going on, and people have geared now towards staying home.”
So now it is all down to hope that the Super Bowl Sunday can become a Super Night for the industry. To conclude with looking at restaurants currently, I spoke to a cook at Crabby Joes named Ian Dallier about their current situation, starting with how the morale of the kitchen is now.
“I think there was a bit of a struggle because we had some people on EI. I don’t know if they were too comfortable to go back or they were looking for other jobs, but we have a core group that has stayed overall. So, it hasn’t been a huge revolving door situation. It’s certainly been up and down. People have been good at leaving their baggage at the door. People are mentally exhausted, though, and some people have had to move back home because they couldn’t afford rent at their place anymore. So, I think there are like undertones of feeling defeat.”
A change Dallier noted he has noticed is that his restaurant has become more dependent on take-out during these big nights and sports events.
“I’ve noticed with the wing nights cause that’s a hugely popular one here. I think we’re trying to give people a decent deal, and apparently, it’s worked well. One night, especially, we were lined up out the door. People were loving. The wings for take-out also are offering delivery now. So that’s helped, and we have online orders. So, I’d say we’ve shifted a lot to like a takeout-based situation. It’s been great.”
So, despite the issues plaguing restaurants, changes and plans have been made to improve and take advantage of these opportunities in front of them. A consistent message between both restaurants is that we may struggle, but we will get through this.
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