+- Waterloo Region Connected (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com)
+-- Forum: Waterloo Region Life (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=12)
+--- Forum: Food, Dining and Nightlife (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=22)
+--- Thread: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 (/showthread.php?tid=1471)
Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - tomh009 - 04-20-2020
So ... it looks like we might need to start tracking who we are losing to COVID-19.
- Chainsaw (Waterloo)
- Kickoff (University area)
- Holy Guacamole (DTK location only)
- Crossroads (Elmira)
- Nando's (Kitchener)
- Timeless Cafe and Bakery (Waterloo)
- East Side Mario's (University area) (not COVID-19-related)
- B@THEMUSEUM (DTK)
- Special Delivery Coffee (DTK)
- Gilt (DTK) (not entirely COVID-19-related)
- DVLB (Waterloo) (probably COVID-19-related)
- Blackwing (Waterloo) (probably COVID-19-related)
- Rhapsody Barrel Bar (DTK)
- Patent Social (Waterloo)
- Quick Sandwiches (DTK)
- My Thai (Waterloo)
- Little Louie's (Cambridge) (probably not COVID-19-related)
- Abe Erb (Waterloo) (not entirely COVID-19-related)
- Hacienda Sarria (Kitchener)
- Marbles (Waterloo)
Updated 2020-04-21
Updated 2020-05-18
Updated 2020-05-29
Updated 2020-06-15
Updated 2020-07-13
Updated 2020-07-15
Updated 2020-08-11
Updated 2020-08-21
Updated 2020-10-22
Updated 2020-11-17
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - TMKM94 - 04-21-2020
(04-20-2020, 10:12 PM)tomh009 Wrote: So ... it looks like we might need to start tracking who we are losing to COVID-19.•Crossroads (Elmira)
Anyone else so far?
- Chainsaw (Waterloo)
- Kickoff (University area)
- Holy Guacamole (DTK)
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - jamincan - 04-21-2020
(04-20-2020, 10:12 PM)tomh009 Wrote: So ... it looks like we might need to start tracking who we are losing to COVID-19.
Anyone else so far?
- Chainsaw (Waterloo)
- Kickoff (University area)
- Holy Guacamole (DTK)
Is it just the DTK location of Holy Guacamole, or the entire chain?
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - tomh009 - 04-21-2020
(04-21-2020, 09:00 AM)jamincan Wrote:(04-20-2020, 10:12 PM)tomh009 Wrote: So ... it looks like we might need to start tracking who we are losing to COVID-19.
Anyone else so far?
- Chainsaw (Waterloo)
- Kickoff (University area)
- Holy Guacamole (DTK)
Is it just the DTK location of Holy Guacamole, or the entire chain?
Only the Kitchener location. I'll update the post.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - plam - 04-21-2020
(04-21-2020, 09:30 AM)tomh009 Wrote:(04-21-2020, 09:00 AM)jamincan Wrote: Is it just the DTK location of Holy Guacamole, or the entire chain?
Only the Kitchener location. I'll update the post.
I usually have no patience for those who claim that LRT killed their business but for the Duke Food Block it may actually be somewhat true particularly because deliveries are so hard...
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - Acitta - 04-21-2020
(04-21-2020, 06:12 PM)plam Wrote:I think that it is mostly the lack of foot traffic along Duke St. I think that those restaurants have been surviving on lunch time traffic from the courthouse and other surrounding businesses. Most people walking along King St. probably wouldn't spontaneously decide to eat there.(04-21-2020, 09:30 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Only the Kitchener location. I'll update the post.
I usually have no patience for those who claim that LRT killed their business but for the Duke Food Block it may actually be somewhat true particularly because deliveries are so hard...
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - tomh009 - 04-21-2020
I think part of the problem is that the Duke Food Block no longer has critical mass. And even less now.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - danbrotherston - 04-21-2020
[attachment=6939 Wrote:Acitta pid='79240' dateline='1587508539'](04-21-2020, 06:12 PM)plam Wrote: I usually have no patience for those who claim that LRT killed their business but for the Duke Food Block it may actually be somewhat true particularly because deliveries are so hard...I think that it is mostly the lack of foot traffic along Duke St. I think that those restaurants have been surviving on lunch time traffic from the courthouse and other surrounding businesses. Most people walking along King St. probably wouldn't spontaneously decide to eat there.
There is a loading zone less than 55 meters from the farthest restaurant. If delivery really was the problem, then our delivery system is fundamentally broken, and we simply can't have downtowns.
More realistically I suspect that you're right, deliveries here are reasonable (for downtown, and in fact, better than other places in downtown, because this is actually a true loading zone, not parking that's usually filled with cars), and it is the lack of foot traffic that is the biggest challenge.
At the end of the day, DTK is still very small, it's basically just one street, maybe one or two cross streets, same with Uptown, Cambridge, Belmont Village. For better or for worse, unlike peer cities like London, we have distributed density nodes, instead of one larger core.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - panamaniac - 04-21-2020
Is that a loading zone? I thought it was a church parking lot.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - danbrotherston - 04-21-2020
(04-21-2020, 09:55 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Is that a loading zone? I thought it was a church parking lot.
The on street parking spaces are marked for 20 minutes loading zone. They are right beside the entrance to the church parking lot.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - embe - 04-21-2020
(04-21-2020, 09:37 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: There is a loading zone less than 55 meters from the farthest restaurant.
..And that makes it ~ half of a football field. What sort of forlklift would make that feasible. ?
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - danbrotherston - 04-22-2020
(04-21-2020, 11:01 PM)embe Wrote:(04-21-2020, 09:37 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: There is a loading zone less than 55 meters from the farthest restaurant.
..And that makes it ~ half of a football field. What sort of forlklift would make that feasible. ?
Literally any--most trucks won't have a forklift anyway, only a pallet truck/pump truck which will also be sufficient. When I was stocking shelves in my youth it was in a big box stores. The stock room was more than 55 meters away.
Not saying it doesn't take a but more time than loading in a loading dock but it's completely reasonable.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - jamincan - 04-22-2020
Those restaurants probably aren't getting pallets of goods anyway. Most likely deliveries would be with a hand truck.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - tomh009 - 04-22-2020
Few restaurants have actual loading docks. Most of the time the deliveries are by using some type of hand truck or dolly -- or by simply carrying boxes from the truck.
RE: Restaurant casualties of COVID-19 - danbrotherston - 04-22-2020
(04-22-2020, 10:19 AM)jamincan Wrote: Those restaurants probably aren't getting pallets of goods anyway. Most likely deliveries would be with a hand truck.
(04-22-2020, 11:50 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Few restaurants have actual loading docks. Most of the time the deliveries are by using some type of hand truck or dolly -- or by simply carrying boxes from the truck.
I agree entirely. Without a loading dock and with a hand truck/dolly, the difference is even smaller, if deliveries cannot be made here, we simply cannot have downtown restaurants.
I think the effect on customer traffic is far far more substantial.
We need to stop using deliveries as a scapegoat for failing businesses.