BARRIE -- The beer taps were flowing at St. Louis Bar & Grill on Friday, one of many restaurants across the region packed with people as patios officially open for business just in time for the weekend.
"I'm feeling fantastic," said one restaurant-goer.
Another saying, "(its) overwhelming, overwhelming. It meets all of my expectations and more."
On Monday, the Ontario Government announced the guidelines for Stage 2 reopening, giving restaurants the green light to reopen patios, including the proper health and safety measures.
Restaurants are happy to provide a safe environment.
"We have sanitizer of gloves available for guests when they arrive," says Caroline Copp, the Business Operations Manager with St Louis Bar and Grill.
"We are taking names and phone numbers from at least one guest at the table for tracing purposes, just in case, worst-case scenario. "We do also have arrows in the restaurant to get that directional flow going."
The restaurant has also implemented cards showing when tables have been sanitized while also appointing a sanitization officer
"Once you're done with your beer or your food, I come in, swoop in, take it, just so our servers aren't touching it," says Sanitation Officer Haley Spahr.
It's only day one of phase 2 in Simcoe County, but people from the Greater Toronto Area are already flocking to the region.
"We drove up from Aurora because we just want to support the restaurants, and we just wanted to have a great time."
The owners and staff at Grillicious are trying to prepare for the influx of those customers from the GTA.
"If they say they're from Toronto, we're going to try to put them in their own seating sections," says Colleen Desimone, Grillicious Tap and Grill General Manager.
Local watering hole Malones Pint House was packed to the physically distant brim and has had to turn people away.
"This has been awesome," says owner Sarah Lynn Maloney, "it's been three hard months of closures, so we're happy to have everybody back."
Restaurant dining rooms can't open just yet, but for restaurants without a patio, the City of Barrie is allowing them to convert their parking lots into patios.
