Several restaurants in Toronto’s old Polish neighbourhood were left without a CaféTO license.

In Covid’s days, being able to serve customers outside of a restaurant, on a sidewalk, or on the street may decide about the restaurant’s survival.

During Covid-19 restrictions, when customers are prohibited from eating inside a restaurant, or when it is permitted for a short period of time, but when customers are simply afraid, being able to eat outside can save a restaurant’s life. Many restaurants do not have space on the sidewalk in front of the building. In order to support restaurants, they can serve customers in front of restaurants, on the street, most often on a parking lane, and often on side streets, often quite distant from a specific restaurant.

The famous Barque Smokehouse place, known for many years, located in the heart of Roncesvalles Ave, that is the old Polish district in Toronto, was not allowed to operate on the street near the restaurant for this summer season.

Barque Smokehouse’s owner David Neinstein, was looking forward to the summer season as the CBC reported. Many of the restaurants on Roncesvalles Ave are counting on any kind of business thanks to the use of a piece of street.

As the Barque Smokehouse does not have a parking space in front of its premises, the owner applied for a space on the side of the restaurant, Geoffrey Street, next to the restaurant, on the north corner and by the restaurant. He was refused.

“We all feel like we’re at the bottom of the government’s standard list,” said David Neinstein, owner of Barque Smokehouse, in an interview with CBC. He also said, “We were frustrated by the rejection of our application, simply because it made sense.”

In Toronto, over 600 restaurants participated in the CaféTO program last year. The program was announced a huge success. It has helped many restaurants to expand the scope of their activities, going beyond their own patios, all in line with the principles of “social distancing”.

Last year, CaféTO approved a parking space on the adjacent parking curb on Roncesvalles Ave, but according to the owner, it was too far from the restaurant and blocked the shop windows of neighbors, making it difficult for restaurant staff to reach and service the site. Ultimately, Neinstein was unable to maintain this patio.

Many businesses have applied for permission to extend the patio under the CaféTO program but have also been refused permission. One of them is The Dizzy Gastro Sports Pub.

It is a restaurant with a unique external layout. The outside space of this pub-restaurant is blocked by a large box on the sidewalk with seedlings.

Murie, the owner of the restaurant, applied for some space to the north of the place, to put 1-2 tables. According to her, one table where two chairs could be placed would make a huge difference. A table like this, operating on weekends alone, would be able to earn the rent.

Regarding Barque, city officials said they were unable to approve their application because the Roncesvalles Ave space complies with the program and “better addresses the needs of the local community.”

Residents support the patio on Geoffrey Street. Ali Abbass, who has lived in the area for over a decade, was one of many who emailed the area councilor to support this patio.

Councilor Gord Perks said city workers went to the Barque Smokehouse restaurant to assess the situation. He said agreeing to a patio on Geoffrey Street would make parking on that street difficult. The city kept its decision in force.

Restaurant owners Neinstein and Murie hope to be able to operate on the patio and somehow survive the pandemic.

We all hope that we will be able to safely spend the summer season with reduced restrictions, often taking advantage of the usual pleasures of life such as dinner in a restaurant with friends or family.