CaféTO program returns to city just in time for Victoria Day weekend, less than a month before FIFA World Cup
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Toronto’s outdoor dining program is back just in time for Victoria Day weekend, but while many residents are excited for the return, some restaurant and bar owners in the city are torn on participating.
Côte de Bœuf general manager Felix Walpole says they’re “blessed” to be located in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood and participate in the CaféTO program.
“We’re a small place and this basically doubles our capacity,” he told CBC Toronto Saturday. “Ossington is so lovely and [there’s] so many people on the street at all times, [it] just really feels alive.”
Restaurants and bars can participate in the CaféTO program to expand their outdoor dining to sidewalks, curbs and parking spaces. Owners need to apply for a permit, complete registration, show proof of insurance and pay for fees, depending on the type of café, according to the city’s website.
WATCH | Residents, businesses chime in on the CaféTO program’s return:
City’s CaféTO program back just in time for Victoria Day weekend
Sidewalk and roadside patios are set to fill Toronto’s streets yet again. The program, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic to help restaurants stay afloat, has remained popular with residents, but not all restaurant owners are participating. CBC’s Mercedes Gaztambide explains why.
The program started in 2020 as a temporary way to help businesses stay open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Following positive feedback from restaurants and the public, the program became permanent in 2023.
Megan Hamilton, who was walking along Ossington Avenue Saturday, said it’s interesting to see how different restaurants and bars create unique outdoor experiences.
“Love to bring the dogs out, so that’s always great as well,” she said. “Anywhere where I can bring my dog, I’m definitely sitting at.”
Ossington strip visitor Taylor Hubbard said she likes to eat outside even when it might be considered too cold to do so.
“Canadians, specifically, we are deprived of nice weather. So I feel like it’s experiencing the sunshine, that vitamin D and especially this year it’s been cold. I feel like people are dying to get out there and enjoy [a] drink and enjoy some company,” she told CBC Toronto Saturday.
However, reports of increasing fees and a disorganized process that led to delays have plagued CaféTO throughout the years.
Vie Strada (Clandestino) restaurant owner Desaret Dulaj said they’ve applied for the program before, but costs were high “from the beginning.”
“The patio was not profitable if we consider how much we spent to build the body or permissions and insurance,” he told CBC Toronto Saturday. “And considering how many days a year are rainy.”
Dulaj says it’s not worth it for small businesses like his.
“I [would] rather save the budget in, use it for other things,” he said. “Our philosophy for 20 years [has] always been put the money on the plate.”
Owners need to apply for a permit, complete registration, show proof of insurance and pay for fees, depending on the type of café, according to the city’s website. (David Hill/CBC)
“If you have like 250 seats inside and you have another 50 outside, that’s fine,” Dulaj added. “But not for me.”
That’s the case for Elise Bishop, who is the general manager of Bar Koukla.
“We like to add the outside just to give us an extra almost 100 seats out here with the patio,” she said. “It is quite the adjustment, but it’s great for business out here.”
With the FIFA World Cup coming to the city in just under a month, it’s an even better idea to apply, Bishop says.
“It’s a great opportunity to just get people, [the] tourist community, just a lot going on in the city this summer.”
