‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: Regina restaurants react to province’s re-opening plan

Restaurant owners have a mix of emotions after seeing the provincial government’s re-opening plan.

By July, it could start feeling like a somewhat normal Saskatchewan summer and that can’t come soon enough for Tim Rogers, owner of the Lancaster Taphouse.

“There’s been lots of ups and downs and it feels like we’re we’re getting to the end,” Rogers said. “We have some dates that we can look forward to and I think that’s going to be on everyone’s minds as we keep moving forward.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel and there is a plan in place.”

Thomas Siarkos of Memories Dining shared a similar sentiment.

“I feel optimistic overall, because the number of people that are getting vaccines are pretty good and it’s only going to get higher as we go forward,” Siarkos said. “We are definitely excited. There are lots of things to be excited about.”

Despite the general optimism, Rogers and Siarkos both expressed their disappointment that Regina restaurants remain at a disadvantage as they stay closed for in-person dining.

“It is disappointing that we’re still going to be closed for another month, at least,” Rogers said. “It sucks that Regina is still kind of in a separate bubble from the rest of the province and we wish that we could be open and conducting safe business the way that every other business in the province gets to.

“I guess we were hoping that with the plan, we would be opening sooner than later.”

Siarkos says it’s easy to feel a little bit let down knowing there are still a few weeks until he can welcome guests back into his restaurant.

“The only problem that we have with this whole situation is that the numbers in Regina, they’re getting better, so we were hoping to be treated equally,” he said. “I was hoping after Mother’s Day weekend, they would allow us to reopen our dining room like the rest of the province.

“But you know what? It is what it is.”