What a return to full capacity means for restaurants in Waterloo region: Andrew Coppolino

When Cambridge Restaurant opened to full capacity on Oct. 25 — the first day the province allowed it — chef-owner Josh Hayward says it took a few days for his patrons to fill the restaurant dining room in downtown Preston.

"The first couple of days we didn't notice much difference in terms of business, but as the days have gone on it has gotten busier. The weekends have really picked up," Hayward said.

The 70-year-old diner, featuring a home-style made-from-scratch menu, has been a mainstay in the downtown and something of a community hub for families and other regulars.

People have told the waitstaff in the restaurant they are comfortable sitting close to other customers within the relatively tight space, according to Hayward.

"Whenever it's full, that's the way we want it. The energy is just so good," he said.

In downtown Kitchener, Crazy Canuck is enjoying a slight uptick in business since opening at full capacity, but it's not yet at an optimum level, says Liam Cameron.

"Lunches have spiked and dinners are close to the same. There's more spontaneous business rather than reservations. Full capacity seems to have made a bit of a difference, but we are hoping for much more," he said.

Restaurant capacity is determined by a number of factors including a calculation of a certain square-foot of area per person that also takes into account table tops, service stations and entryways.

Other factors include the number of restrooms and individual facilities in each as well as the number of fire exits. Building designers and architects must meet municipal codes that determine that there must be a door within a prescribed distance that can safely accommodate a certain number of people exiting.

And while full capacity is something restaurants have eagerly anticipated, pandemic social distancing has been ingrained into the psyches of patrons across a range of retail businesses.

That has contributed to the struggle that many restaurants are experiencing — according to RestoBiz, 41 per cent of Canadian restaurants were not able to pay their October rent in full.

S & V Uptown Waterloo has kept its seating spacing much the same and has seen steady business. Borealis Grille and Bar in Kitchener and Guelph, according to executive chef Shea Robinson, is at full capacity but has dining rooms with a table or two fewer for a bit of extra spacing.

"We are hoping to see something close to pre-pandemic sales," Robinson said.

In Paris, chef and co-owner Andrea Legacey has re-organized the dining room at Juniper Dining Co. to be able to accept full capacity seating yet to maintain as much spacing as possible.