Even though in-person classes resumed on Feb. 7, Ollie’s Pub and Patio won’t reopen its doors.
Ollie’s Manager Miguel Filiatrault said it decided not to reopen until the number of people and students on campus resembles pre-pandemic levels.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding many in-person classes shifting to online this semester as well as our inability to host any events, we think [staying closed] is the most prudent approach,” Filiatrault said in an email to the Charlatan.
Venassa Baptiste, Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) vice-president (finance), said she worked with other CUSA executives to decide whether or not to open Ollie’s for the winter term.
“Ollie’s would have incurred a much larger loss if we remained open for the remainder of the semester. Customers were low, and internal issues concerning service, hours and keeping variable costs low made it difficult to operate as Ollie’s has in the past,” Baptiste said.
She said CUSA avoids losing an estimate of $45,475.33 by closing Ollie’s for the rest of the winter term.
Employees have also been affected by the closure.
“Unfortunately, student staff have been laid off for the winter semester. Students are encouraged to apply for other jobs within CUSA or apply to the Academic Resilience Fund if experiencing financial strain,” Baptiste said.
Unlike Rooster’s, another CUSA-run business which is open for takeout, delivery and in-person dining at a limited capacity, Ollie’s is completely closed, Filiatrault said.
“Delivery is not something we are able to do, and with the limited amount of in-person classes, we do not foresee that there will be enough business to sustain takeout,” he said.
The business attempted takeout in September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting indoor dining and only averaged five to six orders a day—well below what they expected, according to Filiatrault.
The lack of takeout in the Fall of 2021 was tough especially considering Ollie’s was closed for the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year when all classes were online as a result of COVID-19, Filiatrault added.
Baptiste said CUSA will use this time to build a strategic reopening plan for Ollie’s.
“We will be strengthening our current [and] potential partnerships to add other aspects to the business [including] catering, opening up in the summer to serve other audiences [and] using the patio effectively,” Baptiste said in an email to The Charlatan.
According to Filiatrault, plans to reopen the business this semester are not off the table.
“Should we notice over the next few weeks that there is more foot traffic on campus than we anticipated, we could certainly be able to pivot and reopen,” he said.
Featured image by Anya Swettenham.
