What to expect at shopping malls in Toronto in Step 3

Jul 15 2021, 9:37 pm

Some changes are coming to Ontario’s shopping malls tomorrow.

With the province posed to enter Step 3 on Friday, shoppers can once again dine at food courts and restaurants located inside malls.

Although food establishments have been permitted to provide takeout since malls reopened in Step 2, indoor dining has not been allowed in Ontario since October of 2020.

Adrienne Simic, a spokesperson for Yorkdale Mall, told Daily Hive that seating in the food court has been reduced to allow for physical distancing.

A virtual queuing system has been established to manage capacity limits inside the food court as well.

Restaurants that have indoor seating, including Restoration Hardware’s Courtyard Café, The Cheesecake Factory, and Joey’s, will operate according to capacity limits, Simic said.

As masks are still required to be worn in the mall, food and drink can not be consumed in corridors or in stores.

Social distancing must be followed throughout the mall, which may lead some stores to limit the number of shoppers allowed in at one time.

In Step 3, indoor and outdoor dining can operate with capacity reduced to allow for physical distancing. There is no limit on the number of people that can sit at one table.

The same capacity restrictions apply to essential and non-essential retail stores.

Daily Hive has contacted Cadillac Fairview, which owns the Eaton Centre and Sherway Gardens, regarding reopening plans, but has yet to hear back.

Zoe DemarcoZoe Demarco

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