The first weekend of patio season is behind us, and this year’s opening weekend looked a bit different than most. Bailey Sherrah is a server at a local golf club, and said that ‘chaos’ would be an understatement when it comes to describing what her first shift of Stage 2 felt like.
“We had an overflow of reservations,” she said. “We have two patios and they’re very large, and you can only run at half capacity for each patio so we can social distance. It was nuts.”
Restaurants have a bit of leeway in terms of what measures they implement, and Sherrah said her work is taking many precautions that add to the wait time of service.
“The server goes to the table, and glasses of water and cutlery are already at the table,” she explained. “We have a QR scanner menu so there’s no physical menus.”
Sherrah said that beside each table are two trays, one for drinks and one for plates. A server would place the drinks on the tray stand and patrons would grab drinks themselves. The same would be done for plates of food. Patrons can either clear their own dishes or leave so servers could then clear dishes with gloves on.
The whole process can get pretty lengthy, but Sherrah said diners are only allowed to stay for 90 minutes at a time.
“Every single step takes about seven extra steps,” she said.
Luckily, with this more thorough method in place, servers are able to properly social distance and Sherrah said she doesn’t worry as much for her health at work as she used to.
“In the beginning, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried,” she said. “I have a FitBit at work and my heart-rate was sky-rocketing! Once I saw how everything was being done, I relaxed a bit and I’m not worried at all.”
With all the precautions in place, Sherrah’s work does not require their servers to wear masks, something she said she’s grateful for. Other bars and restaurants have servers only wearing masks while practicing good hygiene, but Sherrah’s work has gone as far as to distance patrons who want to sit with people outside their households.
“We have people who come in and they want six people from six different households,” she said. “We’re even going as far as making a mega table so everyone is six feet apart but at their own table. That’s not even a guideline and we’re just really trying our best.”
Despite the changes, Sherrah said diners have been generally understanding so far. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.
“I think they just have to understand that we’re running at half-capacity. I worked a ten hour shift and only had seven tables,” she said. “Just knowing that…be kind, be generous. There are so many additional steps just to make sure everyone is safe. If you’re coming out to eat, you’re putting your health at risk as well as the people who serve you.”
She added that no-shows on reservations have massive setbacks, as no one else can be sat for 90 minutes once someone doesn’t show, and the entire cleaning and setting process has to be redone.
Overall, the message from Sherrah remains the same as the province’s health officials: “just because patios are open, doesn’t mean COVID went away.”
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