B.C. restaurants brace for change as other jurisdictions introduce capacity limits

Victoria -

At Pagliacci's restaurant, a planned New Year's Eve dinner with live music will go ahead next week – unless new COVID-19 measures introduced Tuesday by the provincial health officer change that.

Solomon Siegel, co-owner of the iconic restaurant, said his family-run business has decades of experience and was able to weather earlier waves of the pandemic.

"Every stage of this for the last few years has just been not trying to make too many guesses, just kind of taking the punches and rolling with them as best we can," Siegel told CTV News Vancouver.

New measures implemented Monday ban organized New Year's Eve parties in B.C., but allow restaurants to provide seated service on the 31st.

The updated health order does mean no more moving between tables, and dancing is still prohibited. Customers need to wear a mask when not seated, and businesses may limit how many people can be seated per table.

Other jurisdictions have already gone further. Due to rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts, Ontario and Quebec are only allowing 50 per cent capacity at restaurants. The latter announced Monday that bars and casinos are also being closed as infection numbers, driven by the Omicron variant, surge to record levels.

"If we went to 50 per cent capacity, we would absolutely need support to function," responded Siegel when asked about the possibility of similar restrictions in B.C. "I wouldn't be able to keep all my staff employed."

In a press release, the Ministry of Health told British Columbians to brace for more restrictions.

"Public health is monitoring the increase in cases in British Columbia and developments in other jurisdictions, and will outline additional COVID-19 measures during Tuesday's regular media briefing," the release read.

Earlier on Monday, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said any decisions around additional measures would come from public health, but that more supports could be provided by the province, if needed.

Kahlon was speaking at a news conference announcing that B.C.'s cap on fees charged by food delivery apps will remain at 15 per cent until the end of next year.

Siegel told CTV News a restaurant selling a $10 meal would spend about $3.50 on food, $3.50 on labour and $1.50 on overhead. Adding a 20 per cent charge for food delivery would mean the business would actually lose 50 cents.

"Delivery at 20 per cent is not sustainable for restaurants. There's no money in it. The only way that I think anybody would make any money, if they were focusing on delivery during the pandemic, was because it was in conjunction with other subsidies," he said.

Federal and provincial subsidies for rent and wages helped many smaller businesses survive earlier in the pandemic, and the cost of food, labour, property tax and insurance are all continuing to rise.

Siegel said the best way to support local – if you can't dine in – is to order directly from the restaurant's website.