Canada’s most populous province is just days away from allowing indoor dining after a long hiatus, but many business owners still need assistance from the federal government, according to at least one prominent restauranteur.

“There’s definitely going to be an uphill battle,” said Andrew Oliver, chief executive officer of Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, in a broadcast interview.

“Especially for places like Toronto that have been shut down for so long, and have had massive disruptions to the labour market, given it just wasn’t feasible for many folks who were out of work to stay in Toronto.”

As of 12:01 a.m Friday, Ontario will enter step three of its reopening plan, which permits indoor dining with no capacity restrictions. For many restaurants in the province, it will be the first time welcoming guests to indoor dining rooms in roughly 400 days.

While the province has not set any occupancy limits for dining rooms in step three, there are still distancing guidelines  requiring tables to be spaced two meters apart; Oliver said that means some smaller restaurants may only be able to operate at 30 to 50 per cent occupancy.

Oliver said finding workers will be the biggest challenge for the restaurant industry in the second half of 2021, adding that there was a labour shortage even before the pandemic, but that it has only gotten worse.

When asked if increased pay would incentivize workers to return to restaurants, Oliver said that’s just not feasible for many restaurant owners, because margins are tight in the restaurant industry, and many owners have taken on massive amounts of debt to stay afloat during lockdowns.

The federal government’s wage and rent subsidy programs are both scheduled to wind down in September. Oliver said this makes no sense given that Ontario isn’t fully open. 

Oliver said he is encouraged by images out of Calgary, showing long lineups to eat at restaurants during the Stampede, as well as other parts of the world, but acknowledges there will be some hesitancy for indoor dining, given that it’s been so long for many customers.

“It’s unknown territory,” said Oliver. “But if the rest of the world is any indication, there’s a yearning to get back together and to be humans again. We’re hopeful restaurants will be net beneficiaries of that.”