A law permitting bar patios to stay open until 1 a.m. will not mean good news for those who like to frequent Mahony and Sons.
Restaurants in Vancouver can now apply to have extended patio hours to 1 a.m. from April 1 of this year. Following the 2014 pilot policy of extending hours from 11 p.m. to midnight, eligible active patios can apply for this extension, as long as they can meet the criteria. Businesses are required to have up-to-date insurance, no outstanding fees to pay and no noise-related complaints on file in the past 12 months.
On campus, the new policy could only affect one establishment -- Mahony and Sons, who will not be taking advantage of the new extended policies. Currently open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, the pub has their patio area closed off from midnight. Assistant Manager Michelle Hebert emphasized the importance of strong relations with the community, serving everybody’s interests.
“I’m not too worried about noise because we’re not too close to residents,” said Hebert on problems of disturbing neighbours. “We’re mostly in a public area; we’ve never had any complaints in the past, but we’re always really respectful of our neighbours.”
Students are generally in favour of extended patio hours in Vancouver, though there are conflicting opinions on whether the changes will make them spend more money.
Second-year political science major Jessie Stirling believes it would be a smart decision for Mahony’s to extend their patio hours.
“If Mahoney’s extended their hours, I could definitely see myself sitting out longer and spending a little bit more money,” she said. “It’s smart business.”
Fourth-year biochemistry major Zander Laurie is keen for the extended opening hours, but does not think it would help establishments make more money.
“It’s a great way to spend your night outside on a patio having some drinks with friends. I don’t see why extending it would be a problem,” he said on the possible extensions. “Spend more money? No, I think I’d probably spend the same amount of money, I’d just enjoy my night more out on the patio than inside.”
Hebert acknowledged that the extended hours would be beneficial to Mahony and Sons' intake, but emphasized that there has never been any issues with asking customers to come inside at the end of patio hours. As such, they will not be applying for extended patio hours at this time.
"We have great relationships in the community and with our neighbours and feel this is not in our best interest at this time," said Hebert. "Our current hours of operation seem to work very well and are adequate to serve our business needs in this location and community."
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