The table is set: Restaurants glad about higher capacity

The path ahead is looking brighter as Saskatchewan residents prepare for the first of three steps in the province’s Re-Opening Roadmap.

Sunday marks the first official day of the plan’s first phase. The new guidelines allow restaurants and licensed establishments to seat a maximum of six people per table.

“We are delighted to hear (about) the new phase One,” said Thomas Siarkos, the owner of Memories Dining and Bar in Regina. “We cannot wait for phase two.”

There are still some safety measures, like two metres of physical distancing between tables. For Siarkos and his staff, it’s an easy adjustment.

“We have the capacity to do it,” Siarkos said. “We will be gaining perhaps five to six new tables, which is a delight.

“The staff are very excited. We have brought the majority of them back and as business gets better, we will bring the rest of the staff back.”

Since Memories reopened a few weeks ago, Siarkos has had a great time seeing new and old faces.

“We are very excited to be back in business,” he said. “It’s so great to see familiar faces and to talk to our customers and to serve them personally.

“We have seen a lot of new customers lately due to the pandemic, but regular customers are the backbone of our business and they have responded extremely well.”