'Closed for over 700 days': Victoria restaurants eager for return of full capacity

Tables and chairs are being pulled back out, and in some circumstances, protective barriers are coming down in eateries across Greater Victoria.

Solomon Siegel, owner of Pagliacci’s in downtown Victoria, says he's been able to add about eight more tables that were previously restricted during the past two years of the pandemic.

"(We have) about 30 to 35 tables now," said Siegel. "It’s all the difference in the world. It wasn’t a very viable business during the last shutdown for us."

Siegel and his staff have had a very busy Thursday morning.

"This is day one this morning," said Siegel. "My staff and I were taking down the barriers, putting everything away, I was rebooking all of our bands and everyone is so excited."

Getting back to normal includes full capacity, live music and even dancing if you choose.

It’s not just owners that are excited. Service industry staff rely on tips to make their living. When capacity is limited, so are those tips.

"When our capacity was at half, it was really challenging," said Christina Parkhurst, a Pagliacci’s employee.

"It’s huge, there’s a huge impact," she said.

NEW CHANGES HERE TO STAY

Over the past two years, restaurants have had to constantly pivot their business models.

For many, that meant a reliance on takeout orders to pay the bills.

In the downtown core, there was the addition of outdoor patio seating, which in many cases, were a lifeline for restaurants.

Under the new patio bylaw passed by Victoria council, those patios are here to stay.

"The temporary patios will stay until October, and then we will transition anyone who wants to into a permanent space," said Victoria Mayor Lisa Help.

The short 1000-block of Broad Street in front of Pagliacci’s will also continue to be pedestrian only.

'CLOSED FOR OVER 700 DAYS'

While Pagliacci’s is excited about adding tables, over at The Ruby on Douglas Street, staff are ecstatic to even be turning the lights on.

"The Ruby on Douglas has been closed for over 700 days," said owner Chris Jones. "We’re very excited to announce that on Tuesday, March 1, we’re opening back up."

Jones owns two other restaurants in Victoria. The Ruby on Johnson Street and Jones Bar-B-Que on Cook Street.

Both have stayed open throughout the last two years, but the decision was made early in the pandemic to close The Ruby on Douglas Street. There just wasn’t a business case for the small space under previous capacity limits.

"We just couldn’t find a way to open it in a fiscally responsible way," said Jones.

The Ruby location on Douglas Street is shown. Feb. 17, 2022 (CTV News)

Now with capacity limits lifted, confidence is high that come reopening day, they’ll stay open for good.

"I feel really confident with opening this now. I don’t feel like we’re going to be walked back," said Jones.

"I think that restaurants have been identified as not a place of high transmission and with that, we won’t see this walked back."