For the majority of December, all of January, and most of February, restaurants and other sit-down food establishments had been ordered to close their doors and offer exclusively curbside pickup and delivery as per the provincial health restrictions. It wasn't until recently (February 8) that restaurants were able to reopen to let guests sit down to eat.  

In late January, however, a Beiseker cafe had reopened despite the public health orders. Arcadia Cafe had gone against the provincial government and began offering sit down service on January 27. Arcadia Cafe wasn't the only restaurant who had chosen to do this. A small but growing list of local eateries had decided to reopen against the public health orders in an act of desperation, saying it was either open against the rules or permanently close their doors. 

Read more on that story by CLICKING HERE. 

Arcadia Cafe had been relatively public about their being open for sit-down service so residents from Beiseker and the surrounding area were aware, but did they go? Joanne Diaz, the owner of Arcadia Cafe, says the first week of opening was a boom for them. 

"We were very busy with a lot of people coming to support us. After that, it kind of slowed down but remained steady. I would say it actually slowed down quite a bit but we made more than we would have just doing takeout." 

The biggest peak of interest in Arcadia Cafe choosing to reopen despite it being against health restrictions, was that the government had just announced the official first phase of "A Path Forward" which allowed all restaurants, cafe's, and pub's across Alberta to once again offer in-person dining. Arcadia Cafe reopened on January 27th; the rest of the restaurants were to open within regulation just shy of two weeks later on February 8th. 

Diaz says a lot of customers were curious as to why they didn't wait.   

"We had everybody coming in and saying 'now that the government is going to open you up why don't you guys just shut down and reopen again with everyone else' but the whole point of the whole thing was to tell the government can't tell us when and how we can open." 

Diaz says if the Alberta Government had put themselves in restaurant owners' shoes, they would understand that remaining closed deals a larger blow than they might think. 

"When Kenney came on and said how we were irresponsible and selfish, I couldn't believe it. I'd like to see what happened if they took Kenney's paycheck away for just one month. Take his paycheck away and still hold him responsible for rent, upkeep, cleaning, electric bills, taxes, all of it." 

Arcadia Cafe gained the attention of not only residents who want to eat there and support them, but they also caught the eye of law enforcement. According to Diaz, the cafe was visited twice by Alberta Health Services within the 12 days they were illegally operating. They were also visited almost daily by RCMP and on one occasion Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commision (AGLC) visited them. 

In the most recent Alberta Health Services visit, which was conducted in early February, Diaz says the cafe was told there's still the potential that they will face a $100,000 fine as well as an order to appear in court for illegally opening their restaurant for sit-down dining. During one of the many RCMP visits, Diaz says they were hit with a $1,200 fine. There is also the possibility Arcadia Cafe will receive a fine from AGLC for $2,500, but Diaz says AGLC was looking to work with them to take that fine away. 

Despite the hefty price tag that came with reopening against public health regulations, Diaz says it was worth it and all small businesses in Alberta should follow suit. 

"I think everybody should open. I don't think the government has the right to tell people that they're not allowed to make a living. People are losing their livelihoods; they've put everything they have into these businesses and for the government to just come and say 'too bad'?" 

Since all restaurants, cafe's, and pubs have been given the go ahead to reopen their dining rooms under restrictions, Diaz says her cafe has been following the rules; such as wearing masks, physically distancing tables, and keeping work stations clean.