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Business on the brink: Difficult decisions at Fireside Grill

Most local businesses are suffering these days, and many will close permanently as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns. These businesses are run by your friends and neighbours, and their loss would change Greater Victoria.
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Fireside Grill managing partner Tim Petropoulos: "Do your part and support and shop local."

Most local businesses are suffering these days, and many will close permanently as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns. These businesses are run by your friends and neighbours, and their loss would change Greater Victoria. We have asked local business people to describe what they are facing. 

A commentary by the managing partner of the Fireside Grill. 

On St. Patrick’s Day, we made the difficult decision to close our restaurant, the Fireside Grill, and lay off all our staff just ahead of the provincial order to do so.

After almost 30 years of owning and operating restaurants on southern Vancouver Island, this was by far one of the most difficult decisions we have ever made. Our partners and I didn’t want to do this, but we knew it was what needed to be done.

Looking into the eyes of our employees and telling them we were sorry didn’t seem to be enough. Telling them we had to close left me with a pit in my stomach.

Our employees are like our second family — many have been with us for many years — and we help take care of each other. We hoped what we were doing was the right thing and that when this situation was over, we would be able to pick up where we left off.

But we couldn’t be sure what was going to come next, and that was terrifying.

Our employees had so many questions. How long would they be out of work? How would they pay their bills? When would the Fireside Grill reopen?

We didn’t have answers for them. We just tried to reassure them and told them that everything would be OK. We just needed to make some sacrifices now so that we could reopen sooner.

Go home and stay safe and this would hopefully blow over soon. But I knew it would not be fine and OK.

I kept thinking back to the pictures on the news of China sealing off roads with dump truck so residents would not leave. But like everyone else, I did not want to believe it would be as bad here in our community, and so, like most, we were not truly prepared for what was going to come next. Who has a game plan for something like this?

So, as I looked into our staff’s eyes, all I could do was offer to support, in whatever manner I could.

As we said our goodbyes, I told them to grab some food from our fridges and sent them on their way with whatever groceries they could carry. I told them to stay safe, that we would be in touch soon.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve pondered what will come next for local businesses like mine.

While I am so grateful that my family, friends and staff are safe, I wonder what the best route forward will be. Will government support be able to fill the gaps and for how long? Should we reopen and try and change our business model?

Will our community have money to spend on restaurant meals? Can we adapt our business to the current unknowns that exist with COVID-19?

Which staff can we afford to bring back, and what do I tell the rest, the ones that we cannot afford to bring back today or tomorrow? How will they be impacted and will government programs be enough to cover all their essentials?

These are the questions that keep you up at night.

The restaurant business can be a tough endeavour, even during the best of times. Margins are small, competition is fierce and most have to constantly work to stay up on the latest trends and technology, while navigating constant staff shortages and trying to stay afloat.

For the local restaurants, ones that are not backed with deep corporate pockets, it becomes even tougher. We will survive this, but many won’t be here tomorrow and that is a loss for our community.

These locally owned companies are run not by boards, shareholders or algorithms but by passion and community.

Because of this, they offer a different kind of service and their products are unique extensions of themselves.

So, you might ask, if running a local business is so difficult, why do so many people, including myself, choose it? Well, from my experience running the Fireside Grill, I can tell you it’s not just about money, it’s about the people, it’s about the community and most importantly, it’s about the relationships that develop when we bring people together.

Local businesses are the fabric of our community and are needed, as we are the ones who live here and care about our neighbourhoods and use our profits to invest in other local businesses, neighbourhoods and people who live here.

When you shop local, your dollars stay in your community.

When I was asked to write about why small business needs your help, my initial reaction was that I am a person who is better suited to serving up good food and drink rather than words.

But this is too important not to be said, and we all must do our part if we want to keep our community whole.

Restaurants like mine, local shops and all the other small businesses need your help. They need you now, but more importantly they will need you later.

So, when you decide where to spend your hard-earned dollars, think about where that money goes later.

Local businesses have been helping you for years, with your local raffles, bottle drives, golf tournaments and charities.

They need you now, so please do your part and support and shop local. Our community depends on it.