A popular patio outside at a Toronto restaurant in Little Italy has been closed for business after the owner of Café Diplomatico said he had received “eight different offenses”.
“You have to have two sides open, completely open, or if you have a retractable roof like ours, the roof must be open and one side must be left open, instead of two. You can not do this in minus 20. And what I asked the City is that it should be the standard for temporary fencing, ”said restaurant co-owner Rocco Mastrangelo.
He said his patio was never intended for winter weather, but given the COVID-19 restrictions and financial toll of the pandemic, it was a way to pay the bills, over and above take away and delivery.
“What I actually got as a summons from the municipal licensing standards is to basically remove everything I even did for 2014, which is absolutely ridiculous,” Mastrangelo said.
“I’m not sure what I did to them to deserve this kind of treatment.. ”
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He said it started early last month with a complaint about a blocked fire hydrant inside its patio enclosure. Since then, the notices to comply and notices of violation have accumulated.
Café Diplomatico’s patio is not the only one recently targeted for violations.
“There are 30 to 32 restaurants that have outdoor cafes and patios which is more similar to indoor, ”said Carleton Grant, executive director of municipal licensing and standards at the City of Toronto.
He said it was a small percentage of the 1,200 patios in the city – “only two percent” – and noted that it was not a flash.
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“We respond to complaints and concerns as they come in and of which we become aware through social media or other media outlets,” he said.
Grant pointed out that the City’s biggest concern is “outdoor eateries posing as indoor eateries,” as the province currently bans indoor eateries.
He also noted the structures require certain building permits.
“The building code, the fire code, a number of different codes have to be followed before investing in this type of outdoor patios,” Grant said.
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In addition, Ontario has set out rules in the Reopening Act, which include: “If an outdoor dining area at the establishment is covered by a roof, awning, tent, awning or other element, at least two full sides of the entire outdoor dining area. dining area should be open to the outdoors and not be substantially blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers. ”
In the case of a restaurant such as Café Diplomatico, “If an outdoor dining area at the establishment is equipped with a retractable roof and the roof is retracted, at least one full side of the outdoor dining area must be open to the outdoors. and should not be significantly blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers. ”
“If the health department comes back with the two sides closed and my roof closed, I will be fined,” Mastrangelo said.
“It all destroys us. I had to fire my staff. I’m open to take away and delivery, which is not very busy. The fees for delivery are outrageous, “he added.
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Owner of nearby The Big Chill ice cream shop, Sam Santino, said restaurants were hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions and especially Little Italy.
“It was awful, absolutely awful, the capabilities, the closures,” Santino said. “This street is dying.”
COVID-19 restrictions are scheduled to ease on Jan. 31, at which time restaurants with a 50 percent capacity for indoor dining will be able to open.
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