Dear Friends,
Why are we closed?
Alima’s opened its doors to the public in 1992, and since then we have been honored and happy to offer truly dedicated service to the community. Over the years we have attracted thousands of customers and the majority have remained loyal and great friends of Alima’s.
When we made the decision to close our store on Friday the 20th of March, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it was with very heavy hearts, knowing how inconvenient it would be to the hundreds who come to the store each day.
Since then, some people have expressed frustration and anger at the closure, pointing out that we are legally allowed to remain open as we are a takeout service.
Today I would like to address some of these frustrations and to further explain our reasoning, and to indicate that we will be closed beyond the tentative opening date of April 06.
Our first priority is the safety and security of our customers and staff. Closing the store does enormous financial harm to the business, so our decision was not taken lightly.
MAINTAINING DISTANCING BETWEEN CUSTOMERS
As you know the take-out section of our business is very small. So customers are packed into a small area at some times. We can try to enforce distancing between customers, but we cannot guarantee it, especially over many months.
Even if we were to allow only five persons in at a time, we could not guarantee that outside the door, everyone would be maintaining the distancing protocols.
Actually we feel certain that some persons will not observe the right behavior.
In considering all our customers’ safety, we feel we had no choice but to close the store.
SAFETY OF STAFF
If we were to re-open the store now, we know we would have a lot of orders and drop-ins. It would be extremely difficult to say no to the thousands of loyal customers who would want to pick up. This would mean bringing in our thirty plus employees to work in fairly confined spaces, with no possibility of distancing. As you know this is very dangerous at this time.
So, for their safety and the safety of their families and our entire community, we sincerely feel it is better for us not to take that route. Please remember that this is not a ‘business’ decision. From a financial point of view, Alima’s is taking a big hit; this is a human decision.
GOOD NEWS
The good news is that our online ordering and scheduled home delivery service is still open. Food preparation is being done by a small handful of dedicated staff working at safe distances from each other, and a group of very professional and hardworking employees manning the online portal, and doing the deliveries.
Customers are better served with this service. Please make use of it by going online at www.orderfromalimas.ca
We thank you for your understanding, and we pray, along with you, that we all should emerge from this nightmare safe and healthy.
Sincerely and with the very best wishes for your well-being
Gibraan Ali
Manager
