After a month of new liquor restrictions issued by the government of British Columbia, Kelowna watering holes are calling out for help.

On Sept. 8, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered a ban on alcohol sales in restaurants, bars and pubs after 10 p.m., as well as requiring them to close by 11 p.m. if the kitchen doesn91裸聊视频檛 remain open. In addition, Henry ordered nightclubs and stand-alone banquet halls to shut down completely.

With local bars and restaurants trying to get back on their feet after having to close their doors for several months due to COVID-19, the new restrictions have knocked many establishments back down, losing out on prime hours after 10 p.m.

Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 Social 242 Lounge and Grill on downtown Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 Lawrence Avenue is one of those establishments. With a business model that teeters to those looking for a club-like vibe, Social opens its doors at 5 p.m. and is usually open until late, raking in the bulk of its sales after 10 p.m.

91裸聊视频淭he crummy thing for us is we don91裸聊视频檛 open for lunch and generally it starts getting busy around seven-ish, so there91裸聊视频檚 really only three hours of work for us since we can91裸聊视频檛 serve booze past 10,91裸聊视频� said Social 242 owner Daniel Mulgrew.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e noticing our 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. customers are showing up, but our normal 9 p.m. customers just aren91裸聊视频檛 because there91裸聊视频檚 really no point to come for just one hour.91裸聊视频�

And as the clock strikes 10 p.m., bar and pub owners are beginning to notice a nightly parade to the nearest liquor store, as they91裸聊视频檙e currently allowed to stay open until 11 p.m.

91裸聊视频淭he business essentially gets driven underground. There91裸聊视频檚 no contact tracing at house parties and there are no precautions,91裸聊视频� said Dave Willoughby, owner of Doc Willoughby91裸聊视频檚 on Bernard Avenue. 91裸聊视频淭hat seems to be a real disconnect between Dr. Bonnie Henry and the provincial government, and the hospitality industry. They don91裸聊视频檛 understand how it works.91裸聊视频�

Willoughby91裸聊视频檚 frustrations recently made waves in Victoria after he added a message to the bar91裸聊视频檚 receipts calling on his patrons to 91裸聊视频榁ote that f*cker out91裸聊视频� in reference to B.C. Premier John Horgan and the provincial government91裸聊视频檚 handling of the hospitality industry throughout the pandemic.

91裸聊视频淚t certainly got a strong response,91裸聊视频� he said, adding Doc Willoughby91裸聊视频檚 was forced to register as a third-party advertiser with Elections BC, but the message has since been removed from the receipts.

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Now open just 25 hours a week, Mulgrew said the restrictions are taking a toll on his staff, stating Social has very seldom had turnover, until now.

91裸聊视频淚 feel really bad for my staff. They91裸聊视频檙e in a really hard position. Almost all of them are looking for second jobs now. There hasn91裸聊视频檛 been any action from the province in regards to helping out the hospitality industry.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e already had one staff member leave because they had to find more hours.91裸聊视频�

While Doc91裸聊视频檚 may have more hours to go around for its staff, being open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, servers are leaving their shifts with lighter-than-usual pockets.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 one thing to have your shift cut in half, but it91裸聊视频檚 another thing altogether to work as a server and not have any customers and not have any tips,91裸聊视频� said Willoughby. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 quite a bit worse for them.91裸聊视频�

Mulgrew is an owner who takes pride in his staff and as a token of appreciation, he decided to close shop for a week and take his staff on a trip to Tofino.

91裸聊视频淲ith the curfew right now we91裸聊视频檙e only open 25 hours a week, so it kind of seemed like a good time to jet out of town and explore somewhere else. They91裸聊视频檙e my family I want to make sure they91裸聊视频檙e looked after as best as possible.91裸聊视频�

When asked about remodelling to be open longer, Mulgrew said his establishment91裸聊视频檚 location doesn91裸聊视频檛 have enough foot traffic to warrant being open at lunchtime and Willougby said food sales don91裸聊视频檛 net them enough money to make pushing their hours to 2 a.m. worthwhile.

91裸聊视频淲e could stay open until 2 a.m. selling hotdogs 91裸聊视频� but it doesn91裸聊视频檛 make any sense,91裸聊视频� Willoughby said. 91裸聊视频淗ow many hotdogs do you have to sell to keep the lights on?91裸聊视频�

With few new COVID-19 cases within Interior Health, both Mulgrew and Willoughby said they would like to see action from the province, noting their businesses shouldn91裸聊视频檛 have to suffer because of high case-counts in the Lower Mainland.

91裸聊视频淚 think it makes a lot more sense to regionalize (the restrictions),91裸聊视频� said Mulgrew.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 understand why the province has to blanket it so much, especially when we have so little cases here. It is heavy-handed and poorly thought out.91裸聊视频�

While both establishments will remain open for now, Willoughby said Kelowna is at a 91裸聊视频渢ipping point,91裸聊视频� at risk of losing some of its most iconic drinkeries.

91裸聊视频淭here are closures already happening (across the province),91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e at a point where we91裸聊视频檙e employing our staff, not because we can afford to, but because we want to give them a job. We91裸聊视频檙e absorbing the losses right now. And you can only do that for so long.

91裸聊视频淚f things taper off any further, we could be forced to close, and it would be an indefinite closure until things improve.91裸聊视频�

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