Two of the city’s most popular brunch spots are closing their doors for good after years as a fixture of the Ottawa culinary scene.
The owners of Stoneface Dolly’s said in a Facebook post Friday they’re shutting down their restaurants on Preston Street and Limebank Road in Riverside South due to “various circumstances.”
The original Stoneface Dolly’s opened more than two decades ago at the corner of Bronson Avenue and McLeod Street before moving to Preston. The current owners cited family health issues and a lease that’s coming to an end as major factors that led to the closures.
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
“This was a hard decision to make but we feel the right one for the moment,” the Facebook announcement said. “We want to thank all of our customers for supporting our family-run establishment over the years.”
The news comes as a growing number of restaurants face an uncertain future in the COVID-19 era.
With eateries forced to close their doors to dine-in customers as part of measures aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus, revenues have plummeted at restaurants across the country. While many establishments switched to takeout or pickup service, the long-term outlook for many food businesses remains grim.
Industry association Restaurants Canada reported in late April that about half of the nearly 1,000 members it surveyed across the country said they did not expect to survive the crisis if economic conditions did not improve within three months.