blogcutter

In the U.S., April 15 is the day personal income taxes are normally due; for us in Canada, it's normally April 30, although due to the pandemic, we've been granted an extension to June 1. Apparently business owners will still need to pay by their usual deadline of June 15, unless the government has a change of heart before then.

Restaurant owners and their staff have been hard hit by Covid-19. They're not allowed to open their dining areas to eat-in customers, so many have closed their doors entirely. But of course, they still have to pay for rent and heat and insurance and alarm systems and other overhead costs at their place of business, as well as their homes, even if they have no income. And vacant businesses often get vandalized, adding to the owners' costs at a time they can ill afford the expense.

Some are still able to offer take-out meals for curb side pickup or delivery. And today, I just learned, is Canada Takeout Day.

For places like pizza joints, which in pre-pandemic days already advertised widely and did a roaring trade in the takeout and delivery markets, business may now be better than ever before. I think most of them will survive. But for those who promised leisurely and luxurious candle-lit multi-course dinners with crisp linen tablecloths and napkins, plenty of ambience and flambé desserts? They cannot easily make the shift to takeaway and sadly, I think their foie gras is definitely cooked.

Even mid-market restaurants, who can shift a little more easily, will struggle and especially so if they are new on the scene. I suspect most people would want to experience a new place by dining there, before they would buy meals to take out.

Not everyone thinks Canada Takeout Day is a good idea, as I learned on reading this opinion piece from the Globe and Mail:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-avoid-participating-in-canada-takeout-day-if-you-care-about-the-health/

I'm not sure if I necessarily share her concerns, except maybe for people who are already extremely vulnerable, or very susceptible to food allergies and sensitivities. That said, since Covid-19 restrictions came into force, we have not once gone for take-out or delivery meals. We're not ruling it out, though.

In a few weeks, maybe we'll treat ourselves to a takeout from Casa Mexico, just across from our usual grocery store. Whenever we've eaten there, there have been very few other diners there. The food's really good, and so are service and the decor. We'd like to see it re-open once the pandemic is over.