Happy Thanksgiving. Will That Be Dine In Or Take Out?
Mark Leger is the editor of Huddle. The Saturday Huddle is a weekly column that features opinion, analysis and reflections on Huddle stories, podcasts and business news in the region. It’s published first as a Saturday morning newsletter – sign up and receive our free daily newsletter too.
I was chatting with a friend in the real estate industry last weekend as their family was making their supper plans. They were debating a couple of take-out options from local restaurants, something they’ve done regularly since the beginning of the pandemic. “We’ve had a good year,” he said, referring to the recent housing boom in the region, “so we like to support local businesses that may be struggling.”
We had the same attitude, getting take-out a few times a week for lunch and eating out at more restaurants once the restrictions loosened. And that’s been the approach generally for people and communities across the region.
“Support local” campaigns were certainly in place before the pandemic as an increasingly global economy threatened local ones. But a greater sense of urgency set in with Covid-19 as businesses like restaurants initially shut down, then re-opened with restrictions that have been loosened and then tightened again, depending on the rise and fall of cases across the region.
Huddle set up its own “Open For Business” directory in those early days to support retail and hospitality businesses struggling to stay connected to customers amidst shutdowns and restrictions on operations.
In the year and a half since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve all tried to keep the momentum going. The Love for Local New Brunswick organization is a good example with its NB365 and Electric Summer Social Tour campaigns (Huddle a media partner for both) that keep the focus on supporting local businesses in communities around the province.
PODCAST: A Love For Local N.B. Includes The Yogi Bear Campground And French Fry Charcuterie Boards
But enthusiasms do wane over time. Huddle still actively supports the Love for Local New Brunswick campaigns with regular stories and podcasts, and of course, new business openings remain a staple of Huddle coverage; just this week, we featured new businesses like a barbershop in Saint John, furniture store in Moncton, and pizza place in Dartmouth. But we haven’t actively maintained the “Open For Business” directory.
On a personal level, Janet and I still eat out but have reigned in the take-out budget, returning to a level more closely resembling our pre-pandemic spending habits.
My conversation with our friend last week made me re-evaluate that decision, though, and so did the New Brunswick government’s decision to announce new restrictions ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend.
There are currently 881 active cases in the province in the most recent wave of new cases and the government is trying to reduce the risk of an even bigger spike that could happen with large gatherings of family and friends on a holiday weekend.
In all regions of the province, people are being asked to remain in single-family bubbles over the holiday weekend and not gather with friends or extended families outdoors or inside their homes.
Many people have said they’re very confused because restaurants are allowed to remain open. Many times this week, I’ve heard people say with amusement, or bewilderment that families can’t gather in their own homes but can get together in restaurants.
But the reason for this seeming inconsistency was made clear during the press conference announcing the new restrictions. “Social gatherings of unvaccinated New Brunswickers are driving our current situation,” said Premier Blaine Higgs.
On Friday, Public Health reported 130 new cases and two more deaths, bringing the number of Covid-19-related deaths in the province to 72. Of the new cases, 58 percent are unvaccinated, 12 percent are partially vaccinated, and 30 percent are fully vaccinated.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, has also said that even though fully vaccinated people are contracting Covid-19, “we know you are 16 times more likely to contract Covid-19 if you are unvaccinated. If you’re vaccinated, you are also much less likely to get seriously ill or end up in hospital.”
So the province banned family social gatherings to contain the spread of Covid-19 amongst the people who aren’t vaccinated. Because it’s an across-the-board directive, vaccinated people can’t gather in homes either, even though they’re not the target of the order.
That may not seem fair, but we can make lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. The restaurant industry appreciates all the support it can get, so why not eat out this weekend – take-out for the unvaccinated and dine-in for the vaccinated who really want to see each other this weekend.
It actually makes sense that people would want to eat out this weekend. Amongst other findings, a recent Restaurants Canada survey indicates that 78 percent of diners are looking for “comfort food” at their local restaurants. What better comfort food for this weekend than a traditional turkey dinner. Hope restaurants are on their turkey game for this weekend and for vegetarians like me have added “tofurky” to their menus.
Feedback? E-mail: [email protected].