'The last two weeks have been great': Saskatoon restaurants seeing surge since restrictions lifted
It’s been two weeks since restrictions have been lifted in the province and some Saskatoon restaurants are noticing a surge in business.
“The (lifting) of restrictions brought a few more people out,” said Ryan Grills, owner of The Yard and Flagon Pub, “We’re probably up 75to 85 per cent of what our sales would have been pre-pandemic.”
Due to staff shortages Grills has the restaurant operating at 75to 80 per cent capacity.
“I don’t have staff to be able to go to 100 per cent capacity and there is still some apprehension, at least from some of my customers that you know were still seeing mask wearing,” said Grills “I think I’ll gradually start increasing my capacity if I can increase my staff.”
Grills also operates The Rook and Raven Pub and he says hasn’t seen the same surge in business The Yard and Flagon Pub is experiencing since it’s located downtown.
“Downtown’s a little bit different, obviously a lot of offices are still fairly empty, the hotels are still not up to capacity,” said Grills “We’re still not seeing as many shows as we used to.”
Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill & Bar is another Saskatoon restaurant experiencing a surge in business.
“It doesn’t matter if its day or night, we’re seeing more bodies,” said co-owner of Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Bar, Gary Baba. “The last two weeks have been great, we’ve seen tables come from six to 10 people.”
The restaurantis operating at 100 per cent capacity and has seen an increase in numbers compared to pre-pandemic sales from July of 2019.
“More sports teams have come out already, lacrosse tournaments, slow-pitch tournaments, they’re spending late nights” said Baba.
However, both restaurants owners say they’re lacking staff.
“I mean the government is still paying a little bit of unemployment,” said Baba “It’s hard to find kitchen help at this time, front of house help.”
“Some people seem to be pretty content to take the summer off and maybe continue to get EI,” said Grills. “Whence that starts to look like it’s finished, I think we’ll hopefully have a little bit more luck getting people back to work.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.