Mom and pop restaurants in Ottawa struggling to keep up with yet another lockdown

The past two years have been some of the hardest for small businesses, and now facing yet another lockdown, mom and pop shops are once again struggling to find ways to survive.

Nada Salame just bought her restaurant, Miss Molly’s, at the beginning of December, hoping the pandemic was weakening. Then the Omicron wave took over.

"They hit us last week with no dining in anymore," says Salame. "So just take out, delivery and pickup so it’s a little bit hard.”

Miss Molly’s dining room is usually full for lunch every Friday, now it sits empty. Salame is now scrambling to pivot to full take out.

"Just finished building our website a week ago," says Salame. "So now we offer delivery and pickup. So you can place the order online."

Mike Williams works across the street from Miss Molly’s. He’s been coming here for three years now.

"We come here a few times a week," says Williams. "We’re right across the road. They’re the best food locally for sure. It’s all homemade."

Salame says she’s had to lay off all but one of her employees, a cook. With no dine-in options for the weeks ahead, Salame says it was unaffordable to keep them on the payroll.

"We had two waitresses and two kitchen assistants. So we feel bad laying them off at this time but we can’t afford to pay them while we’re not doing money too," says Salame.

James Rilett of Restaurants Canada says in the pandemic, the smaller a restaurant, the harder and faster it falls.

"They’re the ones, they don’t have a lot of capital that they can lean on to keep going in the lean times," says Rilett. "They’re the ones you depend on in the community, they’re very much a part of the community. They’re not just bulk businesses. So they’re the ones who are hurting the most."

Over in Bells Corners at Mort’s Pub and Pizza, Martin Hughes and his wife are also counting on customer loyalty and take out to keep their sales going.

"We really miss the crowds coming in," says Hughes. "Most of our customers at lunch come from big places like the government and GDC and National Defence, and, of course, they’re all working from home."

Co-Owner of Mort’s Pub and Pizza, Martin Hughes making pizza. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

He says these are some of the darkest times he’s seen.

"I guess that’s probably been the hardest part. The constant changing of opening and closing, and opening and closing," says Hughes. "And trying to feel settled or trying to make a plan. Well, you really can’t."

Back at Miss Molly’s, Salame says this lockdown couldn’t have come at a worse time.

"Complete shut down, it hurts," says Salame. "At this time of year, January is already slow."

"To our loyal customers that we’ve built up over the last 24 years, they’ve supported us though all of this and just want to say a big thank you," says Hughes. "And also urge everybody to support your local restaurants."

Just two of many mom and pop restaurants doing everything they can to survive yet another wave in the pandemic.