BARRIE, ONT. -- There were a lot of tired restaurant staff at work in Barrie after a busy weekend, the first in stage two of COVID-19 recovery.
"It was absolutely fantastic. We had some times of craziness, we were almost bumping into each other," says Sarah Lynn Maloney at Malones.
Grillicious Gourmet Tap & Grill was so busy, they sold out of almost everything, and had to spend Monday restocking.
Three Small Rooms salon was closed Monday, with staff catching up after a packed weekend.
"Clients were so excited, they wanted to hug us," says owner-operator Suzanne Martin.
There were many new protocols to get used to. At the salon, clients now wait in their cars until they're called in. With masks on, hair dryers going and glass barriers, it can be hard to hear.
Businesses also had to deal with a lot of out-of-town weekend visitors.
The city of Barrie issued 223 tickets for people parking at the waterfront, without a resident pass.
"We definitely saw a bit more of an influx at our locations in Bradford and Innisfil, closer to the GTA," says Caroline Copp, Business Operation Manager at St. Louis Bar and Grill. "Our Bradford location actually had hour-long waits at some points."
Suzanne Martin says she's received many e-mails from Toronto clients wanting to come up. But she's reluctant to take business from Toronto salons, and she has so much business to catch up on already.
Local hair salons expect to stay busy, with months of backed-up appointments. And restaurants are also expecting a busy summer on the patio, as long as the weather cooperates.There were a lot of tired restaurant staff at work in Barrie after a busy weekend, the first in stage two of COVID-19 recovery
