Windsor restaurants, bars ready for Friday reopening

Windsor's bars and restaurants are busily preparing their patios for a Friday reopening.

The Ontario government is entering Phase 1 of its reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. Friday. That means a number of restrictions will be lifted, allowing patio dining for groups of up to four people.

"It's been a tough time, but hopefully it'll be better when we open the patio," said Lauren Hare, general manager of the.dotte in Windsor. "We like interacting with people, we love the neighbourhood, we love the customers."

The.dotte, Hare said, has been offering take-out, but that isn't the same as interacting with customers in-person.

"We enjoy having people come sit here, and enjoying their night," she said. "Just having, like, a few drinks, and some food, on the patio, will be awesome for them, and us."

Bryan Datoc, co-owner and operator of Craft Heads Brewing Company, said staff there have been waiting for the opportunity to reopen the patio.

"The patio, last year, kept us operational," he said. "We're hoping that we can capitalize on the nice weather coming up."

"I know everyone's excited," Datoc said. "We're just trying to figure out what all the rules and regulations are so we can do this thing safely."

At Fionn MacCool's in Windsor, work was underway on Wednesday to clean the patio area and ensure all tables were properly distanced, general manager Kristian Neill said.

"It's almost like Christmas day," Neill said. "I feel like we're unwrapping gifts and getting ready for everyone to come over, and have a great meal and a couple of drinks, and start enjoying life again as we're used to."

Neill said the community has supported Fionn MacCool's through takeout and delivery orders, but he said that's just "a fraction" of what the establishment would normally be bringing in.

"The more the merrier," Neill said about Friday's crowd. "We have 36 seats on this patio, and I hope to have all of them full."