‘Desperation point’: Halifax diner owners working 7 days a week to stay afloat
Global News
A diner owner in Halifax is getting candid about the realities of the business after going six months without taking a weekend and local experts say she's not alone.
The blended family behind a beloved Halifax, N.S., diner is getting candid about the difficulties facing the business and industry experts say they are not alone.
Easy Street Diner at 3625 Dutch Village Rd. opened in 2021 and while co-owner Kelly-Jo Beck says it’s always felt like “a bit of a knife fight to stay in business,” this year has been the worst.
She and her partner Lalanya both took Monday and Tuesday off this week — the first “weekend” they’ve both taken off all year — only to return to find a power issue tripped a breaker, turning off all the kitchen line fridges and forcing them to open later after having to throw out all the prep.
While the diner is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Beck said it’s been using those days to handle dessert commissions, fulfill catering jobs, finish additional prep for the week, perform deep cleaning, and stay on top of maintenance.
“It is really hard not to feel like we’re being punished by the universe for trying to eke out some semblance of humanity. It’s not even balance at this point, we are literally chasing our basic needs of sleep and nutrition,” Beck wrote in a heartfelt social media post.
“I abhor being vulnerable like this on our business page but it’s getting to that desperation point where I need my community.”
Beck told Global News that “people talk about profits but really for restaurants these days, if you’re breaking even consistently that’s survival.”
Since her post, she said other area restaurant owners have reached out to her personally to say “we feel you, we see you, we’re feeling the same things.”
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