Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)
"The mayor has asked city staff from Transportation Services to identify areas where restaurants could expand their patio space as part of his overall recovery plan." (CBC report)
"....it's summer now and the outdoors can be classified as a relatively safe zone. Which means restaurants which already have patio spaces should be encouraged to use these spaces. I would go so far as to say that a 6 foot distance is probably not necessary outdoors, because the aerosolized virus particles will blow away anyway if we are out of doors. I would even go so far as to say that we don't need to be as strict about social distancing regulations on patios...In my opinion we should consider - because the restaurant industry has suffered so much damage from the new measures which should be taken into account: Why can't the restaurants use sidewalks as well?" Source
Beer gardens don't only serve beer, they serve wine as well -- just not stronger alcoholic drinks. Here's what else they often have: - good, inexpensive food
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Dufferin Grove Park has run Friday Night suppers for 17 years. It has two widely spaced outdoor ovens:
It also has two widely spaced food prep kitchens, in different sections of the rink clubhouse:
Outside, people can eat the supper food on blankets spread on the grass, or at the "Dan's Table" picnic sitting area:
Christie its has a large oven and seating area, and five years of experience with suppers and sometimes beer. Local restaurants collaborated with neighbourhood organizers to provide the food. .
Wednesday Night pizza and beer garden events have been going on at the Brickworks for some years.
This fairly new oven is beside the community-funded field house, which is also their farmers' market location. The oven has been used by a number of local restaurants to make and sell pizza on Mondays (market days). Near the playing field.
This oven is not on park property (the Wychwood barns are run by Artscape) but it's right beside the main open area of the park and has been used to cook food at events and also during the weekly Saturday farmers' market.
This oven is used almost as much as the Dufferin Grove ovens, programmed by the staff mostly. It's between two play areas with lots of room to sit and eat as well. There have been pizza movie nights, summer camps, and private parties at the oven.
The Montgomery oven is used more for production baking (especially for their Wednesday farmers' market) than for sitting and eating, but it has lots of park around it and a good prep kitchen in the historical building.
This oven is beside the large open playing and strolling area and has been used during a lot of events, including movie nights and music performances.
The Thorncliffe tandoor is in R.V.Burgess Park, and gets used a lot during the weekly summer Friday bazaar. The shipping container Café is about 20 meters away.
This was the second oven built in a park (in 2000). It hasn't been used much for years but it's an excellent oven, and there's a prep kitchen only steps away.
This oven is on Toronto Community housing land but is operated with help from Parks and Rec. It's got a little kitchen building nearby, and roomy places to sit and for kids to run.
This oven was moved, by flat-bed truck, from Christie Pits after they got their new oven. There's no kitchen nearby but there's running water and sheds that can be used as staging areas.
This oven is located on Toronto Community housing land beside the Falstaff apartments. There's a small kitchen and community room on the street-level floor of the building, very close to the oven.
This oven was built in 2004 by a person hired by the city, and it hasn't had a great deal of use over the years. It had a reputation of not heating up well, but when CELOS asked Dufferin Grove baker Anna Bekerman to try it out in 2011, it heated up just fine. The Scadding Court community centre nearby has a well-equipped prep kitchen
This is a very well-organized urban farm run in conjunction with PACT. The oven and the rocket stove are located in the middle, and there's a long table that makes it easy for eaters to spread out (plus there's plenty of strolling room among the vegetables).
This was an early community oven, built on land owned by the church that also houses the DPNC health centre. The tables and benches are easy to distance and there's an excellent commercial kitchen at The Stop food centre (food bank and meals) right next door.
This oven was built years ago by Gene Threndyle, an artist who lives in the building. It's surrounded by a pleasing garden area that has enough seating that it's easy to distance -- plus Trinity-Bellwoods Park is right across the street.
Park campfires are easy for people to spread out around, and cooks usually work one at a time.
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