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Adapting to a new reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As COVID-19 continues to spread, safety regulations have been enforced all over Toronto. Wong\u2019s Ice Cream has put in many safety precautions to provide a safe space for employees and customers as they continue to stay open during the pandemic. They have placed signs outside that allows a limited number of people in at a time, a change from the usual crowd. There is a mandatory sanitize station, mandatory mask-wearing, and social distancing stickers placed on the ground. Most of the time there is a lineup on the street during rush hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrea Bonomo, an elementary school teacher, is a regular customer at Wong\u2019s. He has been a loyal customer since opening and continued to make frequent visits through the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI go to Wong\u2019s because I love supporting small local businesses, especially food businesses that are unique.\u201d Bonomo says he thinks that Wong\u2019s has adapted well during COVID-19, he says, \u201cI like that they only let in a small number of customers at a time.\u201d To keep small businesses afloat, regular customers like Bonomo are crucial during this uncertain time we live in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with the rules that every business has put in place as a response to COVID-19, Wong\u2019s has also adapted to the pandemic by starting to take online pre-orders with curb-side pickups, stopped serving scoops of ice cream to avoid any unnecessary handling of open food between employees and customers. It has also gone cashless. This, limiting unnecessary contact to provide safety to all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Madeline Kennedy, is a 19-year old full-time student worker who has been working at Wong\u2019s since its opening. She says COVID-19 brought new challenges when it came to working with customers. \u201cFor the most part, customers were agreeable. There were a decent number of people who forgot masks in their cars or forgot to put them on when they came in, but were usually fine when we reminded them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It sounds selfish, but our priority is really supposed to be protecting ourselves in a situation like this. If somebody didn\u2019t have a mask we\u2019d just tell them we couldn\u2019t serve them,\u201d says Kennedy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working throughout the pandemic, Kennedy sanitizes high touched areas regularly throughout the day and deep cleans at the end of her shift. She always puts her and the other employees’ and customers\u2019 health as her top priority while working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impact of COVID-19<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSmall and medium-sized businesses have struggled the most and put in the most dedication to their businesses throughout the pandemic according to a recent survey<\/a> by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Due to the seasonality of ice cream shops, in March 2020, when the lockdown first happened, business for Wong\u2019s slowed down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe do a far greater percentage of our annual business during the warm months so when things slowed down in the spring, the magnitude of the effect was greater.\u201d Thankfully, Wong\u2019s has had another successful summer despite how business was at the beginning of lockdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe do a far greater percentage of our annual business during the warm months so when things slowed down in the spring, the magnitude of the effect was greater.\u201d Thankfully, Wong\u2019s has had another successful summer despite how business was at the beginning of lockdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n