OTTAWA -- A well-known Centretown diner and a staple in the ByWard Market are the latest bars and restaurants to be impacted by restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Wilf & Ada’s on Bank Street is temporarily closing, and the Chateau Lafayette—better known as "The Laff"—is reducing their hours to being open only three days a week.

In a Facebook post, Wilf & Ada’s writes, "It is with much regret and heavy hearts that we are closing Wilf & Ada’s at least until we are able to safely open inside seating again … Our concept is based on the interaction of people all enjoying brunch here on the corner in Centretown, and at the moment that is impossible."

Current rules surrounding indoor dining are getting the blame for the decision.

"Under the current regulations and restrictions we are also unable to remain financially viable and so have no choice but to close ... hopefully temporarily!"

Ottawa has been under modified Stage 2 restrictions from the provincial government since Oct. 10. The order is in effect for at least 28 days.

 

It is with much regret and heavy hearts that we are closing Wilf & Ada’s at least until we are able to safely open...

Posted by Wilf & Ada's on Tuesday, October 20, 2020

'Not the kind of place that closes': Laff cutting hours

The Laff, on York Street, is reducing its hours of operation. They are scaling back to being open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 12 a.m. General manager Deek Labelle tells CTV News Ottawa it was a tough decision.

"We’re not the kind of place that closes; we’re open 365 days a year, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every single day, including Christma. So, for us to reduce hours … constantly changing things is not what we’re built on."

Labelle says they’ve adapted with each change, but finds the constant changing of rules difficult.

"It's frustrating. You just think that you get a hold of it; you think that you’ve done enough to make the changes to move forward, and they change everything and you have to go back to square one again."

With each change of the rules, she says they’ve invested money into adapting their business to meet those rules. 

"We invested a significant amount of money in Plexiglas, installing partitions inside, portable partitions so that we can accommodate different sizes of groups at different times, partitions for the musicians; and, to be shut down again is extremely frustrating."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dear friends, It is with great displeasure that we gotta tell you that we’ll be reducing our hours this week, and going forward. We will be open from 1PM to 12AM Friday, Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend, and every weekend thereafter, until the current level of restrictions are lifted. We will also be working on some solutions to try and make our limited available patio space more comfortable for all of our wonderful regulars who have been stalwarts throughout these last few months. Needless to say, the announcement by the provincial government last week to close indoor dining came as a bit of a shock to all of us in the hospitality industry. We invested a significant amount of resources on the safety of our clientele including Plexiglas, reduction of capacity, sanitizer and training for our staff to try and mitigate the spread of the virus. When the time comes for people to come back inside our beautiful 171 year old establishment, we hope that you will feel safe and comfortable there with us. On the plus side, we have a TONNE OF NEW MERCH on our cool new Shopify store at www.thelaff.ca/shop and we can ship it to you across this great country of ours! We’ll be looking to add a few more cool items before the holiday season (WHAT?!) so keep an eye out for that! AND ANOTHER THING! Did you know you can purchase Quarts to take home with you? Just email orders@thelaff.ca and we’ll hook you up! Delivery is available too for wayyyyy less than the Beer Store (within the Ottawa area). Don’t forget to buy some locally sourced fresh off the farm GROUND BEEF from Fusion Farms to make it a truly authentic experience!! We can’t wait to be back to normal and to have everyone down at the old Chateau for a good old fashioned mess-around, but until then stay safe, wash your hands and keep your head up! We’ll be here when you get back. Love, The Laff. #theLaff #myOttawa #fuckcovid #newhours #foryoursafety

A post shared by The Laff (@thelaffottawa) on