Play of the Week #3
By Rebecca Clarke

Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Walk down any main street in Ontario and you will find businesses that have boarded up their windows. These closed businesses are often located right next to businesses that continue to operate during the pandemic. In several cases, businesses have been able to remain open because they have responded to the pandemic situation with creativity and flexibility. Creative responses could be anything from a change in product offerings to altering their entire business model. For example, pizzerias such as Chef Bondi Pizzeria in St. Thomas, Ontario have created make-your-own-pizza kits with dough, cheese, tomato sauce and other toppings as a fun product for customers to make on their own time at home. Additionally, a restaurant owner in Vancouver decided to add a European-style market section to his tapas restaurant. He has continued to sell grocery items such as olives, cheese, almonds, rice, tinned fish and liquor even after the restaurant was allowed to reopen, as it has become an additional revenue stream to his main business. Throughout the pandemic, business owners have been coming up with creative ideas that they are putting into action with great success.
Interview insights…
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we created a grocery-style delivery service where we delivered fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meats like chicken and pork and premade food every Saturday. We are basically running four different business models and seeing which one is the best to go with.” – Restaurant Owner, July 21st 2020
Resource Links
A look at pandemic-era restaurant innovation: https://www6.royalbank.com/en/di/hubs/tech-and-culture/article/for-restaurants-uncertainty-fuels-innovation/kedfihj0
How restaurants are innovating during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.forbes.com/sites/eveturowpaul/2020/03/22/how-restaurants-innovating-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/?sh=5c2413362c2b
How restaurants are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.restaurantscanada.org/resources/down-but-not-out-how-restaurants-are-adapting-to-the-covid19-pandemic/
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