One month after I joined the restaurant, it all came crashing down.

27th March, 11: 15pm. I called Zubair and Sabina: “We lost money in March again, and April is going to kill us. I’ve looked at our expenses — we need to dramatically cut costs and save cash.” The lockdown had already started in Toronto. Like every other business, we had shut down and were now isolated in our homes. Zubair and Sabina in Scarborough, I, downtown. “We have no option but to close the restaurant permanently,” said Zubair.

The rent for the takeout kiosk near Dundas Square, Toronto’s equivalent of Times Square, was due in five days. $3500 for a 9x10 sq. ft. box in an open-air food court. The landlord had offered to accept lower rent for April and defer the rest but that would just kick the can down the road. May? June? We had been looking forward to the summer for months; we would finally be in the green, and maybe even cover winter losses. But, now, will there even be a summer? Will tourists come? Will festivals happen? Four days later, with more questions, and no answers, we pulled the plug. It meant losing another month’s rent deposit; so be it.

People began ‘working from home’. Those who cooked, cooked more. Those who didn’t, tried. Demand for takeout and delivery partially grew. Some restaurants continued to serve. Brave delivery men and women, desperate to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates, covered in masks and gloves, picked kraft boxes from half-open restaurant windows, and ferried them over to condominiums for “no-contact delivery”. A few loyal patrons showed support for their neighbourhood joints by buying gift cards. In days, many restaurants who had only ever known their patrons in the flesh and bone, began selling directly online.

We did too.

Friends and acquaintances alike came through; we got $1000+ worth of orders. Zubair and Sabina prepared 100+ meals at their house, we packed them at the restaurant, and in a couple of hours they were all picked up. After days spent waiting, it felt like spring! Our joy was short lived, though. I spoke to everyone who ordered; they loved the food, and would certainly order again, albeit…