ELORA 鈥� The village normally bustling with activity from tourists and locals was quiet after the province mandated restaurants and bars to close their doors to the public on Tuesday.
At Wreckless Eric, a burrito and coffee shop in downtown Elora, manager Rachel Bingham anticipated a usual day of work but this soon changed.聽
鈥淚 came in at five for a normal day and four hours later I locked the doors,鈥� Bingham said. 鈥淚t's not how we expected this day to go.鈥�
Jonathan Laurencic, Elora BIA chair and founder of Elora Brewing Co., said with their restaurant and one鈥檚 carrying their beer closing, the business will take a significant hit.
鈥淣ot having the restaurant and restaurants across Ontario eliminates a substantial portion of our income,鈥� Laurencic said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a little bit lucky that we still have the ability to sell beer out of our front door and the LCBO 鈥� so we have a couple outlets for our beer but obviously not really enough to satisfy the business long-term.鈥�
With the retail store still partially open there is some work at the craft brewery but Laurencic said they had to make some tough decisions regarding shifts.聽
鈥淲e鈥檝e had to take the unfortunate steps of cancelling all of our part-time hourly shifts for the restaurant,鈥� Laurencic said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with staff to give them hours wherever possible and anybody who thinks it鈥檚 best to receive a record of employment and apply for EI, that鈥檚 totally fine as well.鈥�
Laurencic recalled the last weekend being surprisingly busy considering the news. He said these impact will be felt beyond just restaurants and bars in Elora.
鈥淭here are a lot of businesses that aren鈥檛 associated with restaurants that are no doubt going to be hit similarly hard,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o matter who you are, you鈥檙e going to be taking a hit.鈥�
The federal government has announced economic measures to help workers and businesses in this time of crisis. A press release from the prime minister鈥檚 office said there 聽will be up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses as part of the Government of Canada鈥檚 COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.聽
Laurencic said he is staying on top of the consistent flow of news and support available for his staff.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is keep staff as informed as possible about the news even if they鈥檙e reading it themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking it on our shoulders to make sure everybody is educated as possible on what their options are.鈥�
Some Elora restaurants are planning a move to take out only for the time being. Wreckless Eric will not be one of them. Bingham said it鈥檚 difficult to maintain proper social distancing based on the size of the store.聽
鈥淏ecause people know us as a sit down place, it is difficult to get people to not pull the chairs off the table and have a seat,鈥� Bingham said.聽
Elora Fish and chips shop Somethin鈥� Fishee has had a surprisingly busy week. Owner Sharon Gamble said March isn鈥檛 normally a busy time for them and it could be because they are exclusively a take-out restaurant.
鈥淚 thought maybe because it鈥檚 take-out, there鈥檚 not 20 people standing in here to get food,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a congregation, I thought maybe that鈥檚 why I was busier than normal.鈥�
Gamble explained that the restaurants in the area have a tough three months from December to February of slow business. March is usually when things pick up.聽
鈥淚t finally looks like your window of opportunity, 鈥楬ere we go we鈥檙e about to get into our better months,鈥� then this happens,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he winter is hard enough to get through, let alone this. This is not going to help matters at all.鈥�
Gamble said she isn鈥檛 taking this for granted and it could change at any time.
鈥淭omorrow they could say 鈥楴o more take-out,鈥欌�� Gamble said. 鈥淚f someone tells me I gotta close, I鈥檒l close.鈥�
Laurencic said ultimately the measures in place are for the greater good.
鈥淚 think the more people try to do now will help us in the coming weeks or months in terms of getting coronavirus under control,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary and frustrating but we have to do our part for the health and safety of Ontarians.鈥�
Aaron Ciancone, president of Pearle Hospitality who owns and operates the Elora Mill Hotel & Spa, stressed the company鈥檚 commitment to the Elora community.聽
鈥淚t is the social responsibility of every single one of us to do what we can to flatten the curve and help to protect the health and safety of everyone,鈥� Ciancone said in an email. 鈥淚 believe our community will emerge stronger than ever, knowing we can count on each other when the going gets tough.鈥�
Laurencic said the hope is locals will continue to support the businesses that are here to help keep Elora鈥檚 downtown thriving.聽
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 really find too many small towns that have the quality restaurants that are in Elora,鈥� he said.聽
Keegan Kozolanka, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, GuelphToday.com
