The Vic was the first business downtown to expand their patio.

(BRIE WELTON / iNFOnews.ca)

Although there are currently few sidewalk patios to be seen in downtown Kamloops, there will be more on the way starting next week.

After council voted to allow expansion of outdoor restaurant patios and retail sale areas May 26, the uptake from businesses was slow.

Currently, The Vic is the only business downtown with a patio extension. However, that will change starting next week.

"We’re busy with those applications," Dave Jones, Business Licence Inspector said. 

He has received six further applications for patio extensions, not including businesses that had patios previously.

Extending patios has been lauded as one of many possible ways to help pubs and restaurants struggling to survive through the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing their capacity while following provincial social distancing guidelines. 

The city has been working closely with businesses looking to expand to facilitate the process.

"We’re looking at what they have and determining whether their existing patio can be reconfigured to accommodate that extension at a very minimal cost to that owner," Jones said.

"Most of those patios are already built, so it’s a minor cost to extend it out to where they want to go."

The city will be covering the cost of building the pedestrian walkways through parking stalls, and moving items in the way of patios, such as garbage cans, whenever possible.

Owner of Peter's Pasta Barry Persaud applied to expand their patio and increase their seating capacity for the summer.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Barry Persaud

Barry Persaud, owner of Peter's Pasta, took the time to gather information about the patio expansion before he submitted his application this morning.

"One of our big things was, 50% of a 65 seat restaurant is not a lot of seats by any means," he said. "Getting that sixty to social distance was a dilemma as well."

Peter's Pasta will have four extra tables outside, adding 12 seats to the 30 they will be able to seat inside.

Persaud believes other businesses have been slow in applying for financial reasons.

"I think a lot of other businesses are more worried about the cost of it, if they’re going to be able to offset that cost," he said.

After consulting with many downtown businesses, Jones has encountered reluctance from some owners.

"I think everybody’s just being a little cautious," he said. "A lot of them were trying to see whether opening it up was going to be an option. I think now with Dr Bonnie’s recommendations (on) social distancing and bigger areas, folks are going, okay, now this can work."

Because there is no deadline to apply for expansion, businesses will have the opportunity to gauge how busy the tourist season is before making their decision. 

For businesses with existing patios, the application to expand is typically approved in under 24 hours.

Those applying for the first time can expect about a three day wait.

Businesses will have the opportunity to expand onto the sidewalk until the end of October. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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