Derek Mihalik and his staff at Starbelly heard the news just as they were sanitizing, moving tables to allow for physical distancing and trying to make their space as safe as possible for guests in preparation for a relaunch.
The southeast Calgary restaurant in Seton had planned to open Thursday. Mihalik, a managing partner, had purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of fresh produce and supplies.
However, that all changed when Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Wednesday that Stage 1 of the province’s relaunch plan would move at a more gradual pace in Calgary and Brooks than other parts of the province due to the higher local numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Restaurants, bars, hairstylists and barbershops in Calgary have to wait until May 25 to reopen.
So, with less than 24 hours’ notice, many restaurants in the city, including Starbelly, were left scrambling to figure out what to do with the excess food they had prepared.
Mihalik said he was shocked.
“Talking to other operators already throughout the city, they’re mostly in the same boat I was — gearing up to be ready,” he said. “They had to prep the day-of or the day before to get ready for all of that potential volume. For us, it was a few thousand dollars we had committed to being ready.
“(The reopening) wasn’t a sure thing but with the sheer lack of communication, we had to assume we would have been good . . . finding out at 3:30 p.m. (Wednesday) as we were already six hours deep in the cleaning measures and prepping everything, it was a big shocker.”
The margins at independent restaurants like Mihalik’s are small, so the amount of food required on hand is based on how many customers are expected — which is an impossible task, Mihalik said, during a global health crisis when their entire business model has changed and adapted.
Starbelly received some positive news, as a few community members reached out on Facebook, offering to purchase excess perishables and produce from them to recoup some of their costs.
There is also the option of donating to the Leftovers Foundation , a volunteer-powered organization redirecting excess food from restaurants to those in need, or donating to the Calgary Food Bank.
As of Thursday, Rob Besner, owner of Murdoch’s Bar & Grill, hadn’t determined what the southwest Calgary establishment was planning to do with its excess supplies, but will likely donate them.
He estimated his eatery purchased $4,500 worth of food and liquor for Thursday’s relaunch.
“We bought hundreds and hundreds of wings because it was going to be our wing night as well,” Besner said. “Some is salvageable but most of it will perish if we don’t sell it — which we won’t — through Skip the Dishes.
“I’d say we’ll lose around $1,500 in food that will perish.”
Besner said they had also rehired staff in preparation for a Thursday opening, paying for unnecessary labour.
He said the timing of the province’s announcement was frustrating.
“I was pretty annoyed that we were given less than 24 hours (notice),” Besner said. “I felt like if they weren’t entirely sure, they should have waited a little longer. Maybe not do a Thursday opening and wait until Monday . . . it just seems really weird.
“I’m not impressed.”
Connie Giannoulis-Stuart, who owns Caesar’s Steak House, said the restaurant was planning to reopen at a later date due to the unclear guidelines and protocols from the Alberta government about the relaunch plan.
The restaurant chose not to attempt to open Thursday.
“I know it’s a moving target and a lot of these parties are working hard to figure it out,” she said. “But I think just the way the announcement had come out about the relaunch on May 14, the fact there was no real clarity of what restaurants had to do. None of that information was available until the beginning of this week.
“For us, we just felt uncomfortable to say, ‘Yes, we’re going to open May 14,’ without having the appropriate information. We wanted to make sure our customers and our team were safe.”
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the city learned of the province’s Stage 1 relaunch plans the same moment as Albertans did on Wednesday. He said he sympathizes with the restaurant industry.
“I do feel bad for the businesses, particularly restaurants, who were ready to go. They rehired staff, they cleaned up and they reordered food,” Nenshi said. “We’re now in a state where a lot of that food will spoil . . . one thing I want to reach out to people and say is that if you have the means to do it, eat a lot this weekend.
“Get delivery. Get pickup . . . let’s help those restaurants out as much as we can.”
Nenshi also warned Calgary restaurants and pubs that reopening despite the delayed economic relaunch could have their permits revoked.
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