As Hamilton enters Stage 3 of the province’s gradual reopening, businesses owners in Flamborough are looking at what needs to be done before they can officially open to the doors to their customers.

Many, like Tea at the White House, are easing into reopening their establishments.

On July 16, the Waterdown business reopened for retail sales. While it can welcome guests for indoor dining, “we’re targeting August 6 right now,” said co-proprietor Andrew May. “We just want to make sure that customers are safe, that staff is safe, that everything in there makes sense in terms of layout and policies and procedures.”

Cascata Bistro is also holding off on indoor dining ­for now. The Carlisle business is planning to stick with serving guests out on its patio. The restaurant also operates a food truck, which is keeping busy dishing out menu items for takeout.

The food truck has been a popular addition to the Cascata Bistro dining experience. “People really like it,” said restaurateur Angela Checchia. “We get a lot of feedback that we’ve created an environment that seems as close to normal as people have been seeing these days, so we’re pretty proud of it.”

Effective July 24, Hamilton was given the green light to move to Stage 3 — a loosening of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that gives certain regions designated by the province the go-ahead to hold indoor gatherings of up to 50 people, while outdoor gatherings can include as many as 100 as long as physical distancing measures are in place.

Restaurants are permitted to resume indoor service as long as tables are spaced two-metres apart to encourage physical distancing.

Gyms, too, are allowed to reopen, provided certain guidelines are followed.

However, 9Round Fitness in Waterdown is also holding off on opening its doors for at least a couple of weeks.

“We’re not quite ready,” said Mike Drake.

Staff training is key to the business’s reopening as are new cleaning protocols. The team is currently sourcing personal protective equipment and cleaning products with the hopes of welcoming members starting on August 7.

“We’re going over and above,” said Drake, who wants to ensure members feel safe and comfortable when they return to their circuit-style workouts.

“Let’s just get everything ready and make sure we do it right and not kind of rush into it.”

As he eyes his boutique gym’s reopening, Drake plans to operate at 50 per cent capacity but the gym’s model of working out on people’s own schedule will still apply.

“We have to put members on every other round. That’s going to allow the proper distancing, keeping everybody safe, complying with the rules,” he said.

Given the health risks associated with wearing a mask during a high-intensity workout, members at 9Round won’t be required to cover their face. This, however, will mean strict adherence to cleaning protocols and stringent sanitizing routines.

Drake expects he’ll lose some clients but the staff at 9Round Fitness is looking forward to greet those who do turn up.

“I think once they see the protocols and procedures that we’ll be doing, they’re going to be pretty happy with it,” he said.

At Tea at the White House, retail and online sales are doing well, with owners May and husband Connor Skingley adapting to a new normal.

As they gear up for the reopening of their indoor dining facility, the restaurant staff is changing the table arrangement, which will inevitably mean less seating for guests and a potential decrease in sales.

“It’s definitely going to have an effect on us,” said May, who mentioned the removal of at least one table that could seat four people. “I think we’re probably going to lose at least half and it also depends on if we can properly distance, so we may in fact lose a little bit more as well.”