Jackie Perez

Because of COVID no one is working downtown. It’s empty. The waiting game is finally over as Alberta prepares to relax in person dining restrictions. One restaurant owner hopes it will help boost businesses in Chinatown in an already down economy.

I get a lot of my value in seeing my customers, feeding my customers and having that social interaction. Roy Oh is the chef and owner of Roy’s Korean Kitchen in Calgary. He says the impact of the pandemic has been about more than money. While he can fill takeout boxes, it doesn’t’ fulfill his passion.

A lot of us just don’t know where we’re going to go from here. The continual ask to wait it’s just done. Restaurants hoping for relaxed restrictions in Alberta are reaching a breaking point.

"Everybody loves going to restaurants. I think it’s the most missed thing right now." Dine-in service has been restricted in Alberta since early December, forcing many restaurant owners to think outside the box to bring fine dining into Calgarians’ homes.