Toronto's highest rooftop patio has just reopened, and it's definitely better late than never.

The One Eighty's official first day open this summer was today, though they typically open for the warmer months in April.

They're now taking reservations for groups of up to six, but they're only holding tables for 10 minutes. They recommend getting there a little early to make the long elevator trip up.

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We are so excited to FINALLY announce we are able to re-open our doors!⁣ ⁣ Starting this Thursday (August 6th), we welcome new and returning patrons with open arms!⁣ ⁣ Below are our hours of operation for the foreseeable future:⁣ ⁣ ✨August 6th, 7th, and 8th from 5:00 PM - Midnight⁣ ⁣ ✨August 11th to 15th, from 5:00 PM to Midnight⁣ ⁣ ✨From August 18th and onward we will be opening 7 days a week, 5:00 PM - Midnight⁣ ⁣ Please swipe through photos to read our guidelines on how we will execute a successful and, above all else, safe re-opening.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Please call (416) 967-0000 to book your table today! ⁣ ⁣ -⁣ #180Toronto #reopening #torontorestaurant #torontopatio #torontoskyline #rooftop #rooftopatio #torontopatio #patioseason #welcomeback #torontofoodie

A post shared by The One Eighty (@the51stfloor) on Aug 4, 2020 at 10:56am PDT

All other usual COVID-19 protocols like social distancing, reduced capacity, PPE requirements and sanitization are in place.

Owner Sebastien Centner says that when Stage 2 began, they did a "quick evaluation" and with a patio that only seats 15 to 20 per cent of their total capacity, they decided reopening just didn't make sense.

When Stage 3 arrived, the restaurant had spent months planning how to reopen but also waiting to see what the new phase would look like. Centner says the question was, "How quickly can we ramp things up?"

Not only are restaurants now tasked with basically reopening from scratch, but there are also lots of other extra procedures to take into consideration.

The One Eighty assembled an A team and a B team to ensure there was no overlap between staff should an outbreak ever occur.

The One Eighty wanted to reopen as quickly as possible, but Aug. 6 was the most realistic date considering all the extra protocols to implement.

As the highest rooftop patio in the city, additional costs and challenges are present: for example, a hostess is needed to manage customer flow in the elevators.

Centner says the menu will be pared back by about 15 per cent and the restaurant won't be open its usual seven days a week, and although they "don't want to rush into it," they "didn't feel it was right" to change too much or "throw roadblocks up" like increased prices or overly complicated systems.

He emphasizes that "operators and staff are under pressure, but guests as well" and feels it's "short-sighted" to implement measures that discourage them from dining out and returning to some semblance of normalcy, especially as they can never be aware of what's going on with each guest personally.

We could all use a little luxury rooftop dining right now, so if that's what you need to ease the pain, this swanky patio could be just the ticket.