Hamilton council approves temporary restaurant patios adjacent to residential homes Thorne says those businesses are now being surveyed to assess the impact of the program, designed to give them a helping hand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they’d keep their expanded patios in place during the colder months ahead.Thorne says the preliminary feedback is that there is “a lot of interest in at least giving it a try through the winter.”He adds that through the summer, the feedback indicates that “these patios we’re extremely important to the viability of those businesses.” Hamilton restaurateur approaching Stage 3 reopening with mixed emotions Thorne acknowledges that winter patios aren’t going to be for everybody, but he.