Lethbridge residents still rely on restaurants to be able to escape their kitchens every once in a while. Some use delivery apps, but many residents prefer to pick up their food themselves.
Restaurant owners in Lethbridge have had to get creative to accommodate a new way of doing business. Only able to offer curb side pick-up and delivery, some changes were necessary to accomplish these tasks.
For Lighthouse Japanese restaurant owner, Ryan Squire, some of the adjustments required him to take a hard look at the menus.
“We had to change our menu a little bit. There were certain things that we just can’t do for take-out and since we didn’t have dine-in service, there was no point in having those,” said Squire.
One of the changes required steaks and most of their deserts to be taken off the menu, as the steaks couldn’t be served at top quality and the desserts don’t travel well.
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But with the restrictions, there were also trade-offs, including being able to sell alcohol with delivery.
That also meant pubs were able to stay in business, which helped Hudsons Canada’s Pub stay afloat. But just like other establishments, Hudsons also had to adjust.
One of the changes it had to make was limiting the amount of fresh product kept on hand, which meant buying more frequently, spending more time going to grocery stores, as opposed to getting their large shipments of food.
Because of this, it had to change how much they prepared food, which is now done on a daily basis because they don’t go through things as quickly as before.
Operating partner, Jesse Dixon says it was a big learning curve when Hudsons changed to exclusively offering takeout and delivery, as it was only doing 20 per cent of the sales under normal circumstances.
“On top of our regular menu, which we kept the whole time trying to give options to people, we added like liquor kits that people could take home and do build at home liquor cocktails,” said Dixon.
It also has packaged products that are kits, like an all-inclusive kit for the NHL season, which has some swag, snack and food items, as well as some alcoholic drinks.
The good news is that the measures taken by these restaurants, may not have to stay in place much longer, as the provincial government will be easing some restrictions regarding dine-in service on Feb. 8.
As Alberta moves to ease restrictions for restaurants and pubs, it will still require a maximum of six people per table, from the same household or the two close contacts for people living alone. For more information, visit the government of Alberta website.
