is proving that adaptability is necessary if a business is to last 30 years and counting, let alone last through a pandemic.

Like numerous businesses in Yellowknife, Bullock's was laid low by Covid-19 and closed from March 17 until June 13.

The situation pushed the iconic restaurant to prove its mettle and it has come out on top, though it finds itself in what owner Jo-Ann Martin calls a SA国际影视传媒渘ew normalSA国际影视传媒� since it reopened.

Business has shrunk compared to pre-Covid times.

Martin estimates her revenues are down by a SA国际影视传媒渂it over 50 per cent,SA国际影视传媒� owing to the decimation of tourism and physical-distancing protocols that require the restaurant to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

SA国际影视传媒淲e rarely get to that capacity because we have three-person, four-person and six-person tables. If all the tables are (used) we might only have eight to 10 people in here,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Some customers are better than none, but Martin said the hardest thing to face with business during Covid is the altered sense of community in the eatery.

The furniture and format inside has been rearranged to facilitate physical distancing. Some tables were removed and everything had to be spaced apart by six feet. The open-kitchen format was changed when a curtain was put up to separate the kitchen from the dining area.

Martin said the cooks miss being able to chat with people while they're working.

SA国际影视传媒淏ullock's was always a place of gathering and a place where people would share a meal and a story,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲hether it's a family or a community. Coming back now there's no communal portion to it. Everything is separate and everything has to be divided. It takes away a little bit of that comfort from everybody being together. We're getting settled now. You can still have a conversation now but we have to stand a few feet away from someone. Hopefully one of these days we'll be able to sit two parties at a table together and have good food and good company.SA国际影视传媒�

Financially, Martin said it's going to be a SA国际影视传媒渘on-profit year for us for sure, but I think we'll be able to pay our bills. Business-wise I think we're fortunate we live where we do because of the programs the government has provided. It has given us a bit of room to be this slow and still operate.SA国际影视传媒�

Before Covid, the restaurant would go through about 150-200 lbs of fish on a busy day. Now it rarely reaches 100 lbs.

SA国际影视传媒淭hat obviously trickles down to the fishermen. (But) we're making it work. I have no complaints,SA国际影视传媒� Martin said.

Her staff numbers have rebounded more than food volumes. In March, she laid off all of her staff of 13 and in June hired back 10 of them.

Seeing them come back was SA国际影视传媒渆xciting.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think everyone was going through withdrawal. When you work here, you're very social. You need social and animated people here," she said. "When the customers came in it was a huge deal for us.SA国际影视传媒�

While all that might sound like a somewhat tough piece of fish to swallow, the new normal has a flip side.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's definitely different with the lack of tourism in town. But on a positive note we're seeing a lot of visitors from the NWT and Nunavut and it's nice to see a change in the clientele,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲e see locals along with visitors normally, and usually they're from other parts of the world. But now we have more time to have a conversation with someone from Norman Wells or Fort Smith and hear about the things going on in their communities in the NWT and not on a world scale. It's really cool. Because we have 50 per cent capacity, you have more time to chat with people. It's a little bit of a different business model for us for sure. But we seem to be doing OK and enjoying it.SA国际影视传媒�

Fewer customers also means a less hectic pace of work. Staff have more time to do their tasks, making it easier to fit in the required sanitation measures between customers coming and going.

Bullock's baked its own bread before Covid, but now staff time have time to bake even more bread.

SA国际影视传媒淲e'll put out whatever the cook feels like making that day, like a veggie bread thing or a carrot cake. It's like a pop-up bakery. We're making a lot more bread now than we were before. Our bread sales are doing well. It's making up for some of the loss of business during the day and it's bringing in more people or people who wouldn't normally come through. It's a good way to keep touching base with people,SA国际影视传媒� Martin said.

The more open schedule has also given Bullock's the opportunity to make and sell more of its own herb and garlic salad dressing and teriyaki fish sauce.

Martin's husband, and Bullock's co-owner Mark Elson partly filled the downtime when the restaurant was closed by cooking and testing more of the sauces. When the GNWT's health department approved the sauces for sale outside of the restaurant in mid-May, Bullock's began selling it to stores in Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Smith.

SA国际影视传媒淚t will help supplement some of the loss of business from the restaurant,SA国际影视传媒� Martin said SA国际影视传媒淲e're looking at getting a proper processing facility for it so we can move into more markets. We're producing about 500 bottles a week,SA国际影视传媒� giving a revenue bump of about 10 per cent.

Martin is realistic about the rest of the year and isn't expecting the tourists to suddenly come back or for the Covid restrictions to be lifted tomorrow.

SA国际影视传媒淲e're prepared for this state for the rest of the year and into next year. It will force us to be even better at planning and budgeting and being able to change things on the fly.SA国际影视传媒�

Whatever the future holds, she's grateful that the support of the community and work of her staff have brought Bullock's to where it is now.

SA国际影视传媒淥ne of the things I'm proudest of is my staff and how they're working hard to adapt to things," she said. "They've been forced to change and they've taken on the challenge. We've had to rethink how we do a lot of things."