‘Is it worth hanging on?’ How COVID nailed the coffin shut on these Hamilton restaurants

When Leo Santos talks about the closure of his restaurant, he doesn't blame the pandemic - but he does give credit where it's due.

Santos announced last month that his eatery, Papa Leo's, would permanently close after more than a decade on Concession Street.

The eatery typically takes a break around Christmas, but with pandemic restrictions, they held off from ever reopening.

It joined the growing list of mid-pandemic restaurant closures in Hamilton, but Santos said it was well on its way before COVID hit.

He had been dealing with personal issues," and had some desires to try something new and different." Even then, he said his staff likely could have taken over the reins.

But the world of hospitality has changed due to the pandemic, and COVID was one of a combination" of factors.

The pandemic was definitely, let's say, a push towards the closure," said Santos. It was a finalized detail for it."

Santos isn't alone in that sentiment.

At Taylor's Tea Room in Dundas, which closed in July after nearly three decades, second-generation owner Brayden Ehrlich said the pandemic gave him a chance to rest and realize" it was time to move on from the shop and change career paths.

Mattson & Co. owner Ronn Mattai felt the same, and in his goodbye post wrote that the life-changing decision" to close was made after a re-evaluation of my journey thus far and recognizing I have so much more to experience in my life path."

In the central city, the owners of Rebel's Rock Irish Pub shut after 20 years to retire - a plan in the works prior to the pandemic.

Other restaurants that closed amid the pandemic - but not entirely because of it - include South Sea Restaurant on Ottawa Street North and The Winking Judge on Augusta Street.

Restaurants Canada vice-president James Rilett said those decisions aren't surprising at all," especially after the last 19 months of restrictions left many restaurants without indoor dining for months at a time.

It's just natural that when something like this happens, you re-evaluate everything you do," said Rilett. That kind of forces people to say Do I want to continue to do this and is it worth hanging on?'"

While there is no official number of restaurants that have closed in Hamilton, data from the city in October showed restaurant or eating establishment" licences fell to 1,193 this year, from 1,474 in pre-pandemic times.

A non-renewed or suspended licence does not mean doors are closed for good but it does mean the business is not allowed to operate per Hamilton bylaws.

Restaurants Canada estimates at least 15,000 restaurants have closed across Ontario since the pandemic began.

For Papa Leo's, the decision was also driven by the change COVID forced in the hospitality industry.

The once-bustling, 24-seat brunch spot had stopped indoor dining entirely, moving strictly to takeout. That marked a massive change for the restaurant, said Santos. That stream would have previously accounted for just 10 per cent of business.

While growing his takeout business enough to be sustainable was impossible," he said, it also moved them further away from his original dream for the eatery - long lines, a packed dining room and creating connections with patrons.

I didn't build Papa Leo's as a takeout restaurant. Everything we did was about putting food on the plate and serving you in the dining room," said Santos. I just didn't have the energy to reconfigure or remodel what we did."

Benson Honig, the Teresa Cascioli chair in entrepreneurial leadership at McMaster's DeGroote School of Business, said the hospitality industry has changed radically" - and some restaurateurs haven't been able to adapt or didn't want to.

Chefs went from delivering beautifully plated" food in their dining rooms to putting their dishes into boxes, said Honig.

Diners are separated by Plexiglas, employees are masked, and donning personal protective equipment has become an unimaginable" part of the job, added Rilett.

Another struggle has been a worker shortage, after more than 180,000 restaurant workers left the industry with no return date in sight, according to an analysis by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

They may not have liked what was left for them," said Honig. The business has changed fundamentally, and maybe against what their preferences were."

Locally, the labour shortage contributed to the closure of the iconic Cat N' Fiddle Pub on John Street South. Co-owner Suzanne Keast said hiring struggles along with capacity limits, physical distancing, and the challenges around live music didn't help.

Santos said despite earlier plans, he struggled with the decision.

He had to let go of longtime staff, say goodbye to the Concession Street business community and bid farewell to regulars at the restaurant.

It was more than a job, it was our home," said Santos. It really does suck, because it was an amazing 10 years. It was a lot of work, but we got to a great point where things were fantastic. Then, COVID decided to pop up."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com