Will our community have money to spend on restaurant meals? Can we adapt our business to the current unknowns that exist with COVID-19? Will government support be able to fill the gaps and for how long? Should we reopen and try and change our business model? While I am so grateful that my family, friends and staff are safe, I wonder what the best route forward will be. Over the past few weeks, I’ve pondered what will come next for local businesses like mine. I told them to stay safe, that we would be in touch soon. So, as I looked into our staff’s eyes, all I could do was offer to support, in whatever manner I could.Īs we said our goodbyes, I told them to grab some food from our fridges and sent them on their way with whatever groceries they could carry. Who has a game plan for something like this? But like everyone else, I did not want to believe it would be as bad here in our community, and so, like most, we were not truly prepared for what was going to come next. I kept thinking back to the pictures on the news of China sealing off roads with dump truck so residents would not leave. Go home and stay safe and this would hopefully blow over soon. We just needed to make some sacrifices now so that we could reopen sooner. We just tried to reassure them and told them that everything would be OK. How long would they be out of work? How would they pay their bills? When would the Fireside Grill reopen? We hoped what we were doing was the right thing and that when this situation was over, we would be able to pick up where we left off.īut we couldn’t be sure what was going to come next, and that was terrifying. Our employees are like our second family - many have been with us for many years - and we help take care of each other. Telling them we had to close left me with a pit in my stomach. Looking into the eyes of our employees and telling them we were sorry didn’t seem to be enough. Our partners and I didn’t want to do this, but we knew it was what needed to be done. Patrick’s Day, we made the difficult decision to close our restaurant, the Fireside Grill, and lay off all our staff just ahead of the provincial order to do so.Īfter almost 30 years of owning and operating restaurants on southern Vancouver Island, this was by far one of the most difficult decisions we have ever made. We have asked local business people to describe what they are facing.Ī commentary by the managing partner of the Fireside Grill. These businesses are run by your friends and neighbours, and their loss would change Greater Victoria. Most local businesses are suffering these days, and many will close permanently as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
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