The Dam Smokehouse (left) and The Spot (right) are some of the northeast restaurants that have closed their dining rooms and shifted their focus to take out and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Facebook/The Dam Smokehouse and Facebook/The Spot Restaurant and Lounge Tisdale).

By Aaron Schulze

Restaurant Reaction

Northeast restaurant sector fears permanent shutdowns following province’s State of Emergency

Mar 19, 2020 | 1:32 PM

“It was bound to happen… everybody’s scared… the worst-case scenario.”

Some small-town, locally-owned restaurants and bars in Northeast Saskatchewan were already feeling the financial impact of COVID-19, as the infectious disease slowly made its way into the province.

For Faron Saufert, owner of the Dam Smokehouse in Nipawin, he noticed a drop in half his business a few days prior to Premier Scott Moe’s announcement of Saskatchewan declaring a State of Emergency. He imagines another chunk of business will be lost going forward.

“It’s bound to happen… it’s been happening everywhere,” Saufert said. “We’ve got to nip it in the butt, because I guess this is the way things are going to roll for a while.”

Late on Wednesday, March 18, and hours after northeastNOW spoke with him, Saufert had to layoff his staff.

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The Dam Smokehouse has closed off its dining area to the public. They will now only do orders for take out or delivery.

Saufert doesn’t want to permanently shut down operations but knows the COVID-19 circumstances could force his hand.

“Everybody’s scared,” he said. “There are no margins in the industry as it is. To be sitting in limbo and not sure what help small businesses are going to get yet is a scary situation.

“Entirely shutting down for me would be a no option. I basically live day to day [at the Dam Smokehouse]. If we have to shut down for any amount of time, I might as well lock up the doors. I’d be done.”

Another restaurant operation with concerns of the foreseeable future is The Spot, with locations in Nipawin and Tisdale.

Karinne Seiferling, who owns the Nipawin restaurant and co-owns the Tisdale location with Brett and Kim Cassavant, said she’s also faced similar issues as Saufert with the Dam Smokehouse.

As of Thursday, March 19, The Spot will close off the dining room and only offer take out or delivery, after a decline in sales up to the State of Emergency being declared. They also laid off all their employees, minus the head chef and front of house manager in Nipawin.

Even with all the drastic changes and cuts, Seiferling expects the situation to still get worse for her and others in the restaurant industry.

“I think we’ve been fair warned as to what was to come,” Seiferling said. “But at the same time, once you hear it, you have to fathom what that means for you, your business, your customers, and your staff. I know many people live pay cheque to pay cheque, but in our industry that pay cheque is very crucial.

“This is the worst-case scenario that we could probably think of. When I stress about this scenario it’s because I’m more worried for my staff. If they have to be worried about putting food on their table, that concerns me more than it concerns that we have to close down the restaurant. I’m an entrepreneur and I know what it’s like to take risks and to get through tough times, but that’s me personally. I can handle this stress and deal with it, but it’s what can I do for them, and that’s pretty much nothing.”

The short-term goal for The Spot is to keep afloat and not completely shut down operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seiferling said the Tisdale location launched an app to make it most convenient for anyone wanting to order take out or delivery, as she sees it as her only option for the time being.

“My phone has been blowing up all day and people are saying ‘Don’t worry, there will be funding from the government for businesses and employees,’” she said. “I’m not really thinking about that. I had one staff member already try to [apply for EI] and couldn’t get through the phone line. I’m thinking what we can do right now. Not tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that, because we might be forced to close our doors and completely close down.”

Both Saufert and Seiferling said the best way people can help out the restaurant industry stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic and State of Emergency, if possible, is to purchase take out, delivery, or gift certificates.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow