Despite the scattered showers, Toronto was blessed with sunshine this past weekend and people just can’t help but wonder why all the CafeTO patios (that are already blocked off on the curbs) aren’t already operational… But if you happen to know a restauranteur, they’ll quickly share that even they don’t know when they will be able to open up their patios. Mostly because the city hasn’t communicated. With another week of sunshine and higher temps ahead, they are all urging for answers…
Restauranteurs frustrated with the lack of communication
“The city has been terrible with keeping us updated…none of us [restauranteurs] with CafeTO patios have gotten any updates,” says a restauranteur who preferred to remain anonymous, to avoid the city’s wrath. “We’re all tripping out–they should all be open by now, but they’re so behind, and with zero communication.”
The city has been terrible with keeping us updated…
restauranteur who preferred to remain anonymous, to avoid the city’s wrath
“We’ve been planning the patio since March, and expected to be ready to go last weekend,” said Roger Yang, owner of Osteria Du, an Italian hotspot on Queen Street West. “For some reason, our particular block seems to be one of the last areas to be set up. We finally received the permit by email, but are still not able to do anything. The concrete blocks are in place, so maybe they figure we just put up fences now? I kind of assumed the pylons and concrete were the “go ahead” in addition to the permit (which is new this year).”
ADVERTISEMENT |
We finally received the permit by email, but are still not able to do anything.
Roger Yang, owner of OSteria Du on Queen St. W.
But it seems, this isn’t the case for all neighbourhoods, as some seemed to have been setup and up and running–although we have not been able to confirm with the city, if they are “approved” to do so.
It seems as though this strip along Queen Street East in the beaches is setup, and I personally noticed the patios setup on Church St this past weekend, and up and running. But sadly, that hasn’t been the case for all restaurants across the city.
CafeTO curb lane rollouts are in the works…
According to the city, they have been working on setting up the CafeTO curb lane safety setups since early May…
We reached out to the city and Tory’s office for comment and updates, and despite the clear lack of patios being open (and the overwhelming frustration from restauranteurs) the city’s Transportation services said, “Most CafeTO curb lane cafes have been installed and are available for use. Many were operational across the city this weekend.” Apparently, “Once an operator has a permit, they can set up their patio at their earliest convenience.” But it seems as thought this is still unclear to restaurants… They also went on to say that, “The remaining approved CaféTO locations are being installed as quickly as possible. Staff are coordinating with local BIAs on installation scheduling.”
ADVERTISEMENT |
[we] had extra staff hired on and ready to go [this weekend].Roger Yang, Owner of Osteria Du
Sadly, due to the lack of communication from the city, and unclear information pertaining to when they can and cannot launch their patios, many missed out on this past weekend. “We would have liked to have been able to take advantage of this amazing weather this weekend,” said Roger Yang, owner of Osteria Du, “and [we] had extra staff hired on and ready to go [this weekend]. Now knowing that if a restaurant has received their permit they are in the clear to set-up their patio, as told to us by Transportation Services, hopefully we will see more and more open up across the city this week…just in time for some more sunshine.
CafeTO Property Improvement Program
Luckily, on a more positive note, it seems the city has launched a grant program offering up-to $7500 to help cover 50% of their costs associated with their CafeTO structures and setup, through the new CafeTO Property Improvement Program. Maybe that’s the reason why some seem to be getting fancier this year… but this doesn’t seem to be the case across the board (just yet).
Amplified live music on patios pilot program
Last, but definitely not least, it seems like the city is attempting to help restaurants and bars “liven” up their patios with the launch of the Amplified Live Music on Patios pilot program. But sadly, not everyone seems to be all that excited about it…and took to Twitter to voice that opinion.
What are your thoughts? Let us know… slip into our DMs @ViewtheVIBE, tweet us, or shoot us an email at submissions@havestamina.com.
