A job offer posted by the restaurant Au Pied de cochon in Montreal aroused strong reactions. The prestigious establishment led by chef Martin Picard is looking for five cooks who will be offered an hourly wage of $ 13.50, while the hiring average is $ 18.22, according to the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ). This is a 15% increase from 2019.
By comparison, McDonald’s posts jobs with pay ranging from $ 15 to $ 17. Thus, the announcement posted on November 11 on the Government of Canada’s Guichet-Emploi site did not go unnoticed. On the restaurant’s Facebook page, Internet users did not hide their surprise and dissatisfaction.
“Tell me this is a joke!” », Can we read in particular. “It’s despicable. No one can live decently at $ 13.50 an hour, and it’s oddly ironic that these people are hired to work on products that they themselves cannot afford, ”commented another Internet user. on the Facebook page of economist Ianik Marcil who had also shared the news by contrasting the price of a meal at Pig’s Foot and the hourly wage posted for new cooks.
“With the housing crisis taking place everywhere in Quebec and not just in Montreal, who has the means to go to work for a salary that does not even pay its rent in the end? », We also underline.
Asked by Press Regarding the hourly rate offered to the five sought-after cooks, Marc Beaudin, co-owner of Pied de Cochon, recalled that “there were also (paid people) at $ 13.50 working at McDonald’s”. He also adds that the salary at his restaurant can change depending on the candidate’s experience. “Yes, I wish I could offer salaries at $ 17, $ 18, $ 20, $ 22 an hour,” he said on the phone. It’s just that at one point, you don’t get there at the end of the year. We do not have that margin of increasing the salaries of our employees by 30%, 40%, 50%. ”
Mr. Beaudin also points out that with the sharing of tips between the employees in the dining room and those in the kitchen, the salaries of the people in the kitchen are a little higher. Note that each establishment establishes its tip sharing policy. The waiters decide if they share with their colleagues. The average salary of an employee in the dining room is $ 12.87 (without tips) against $ 19.40 for that in the kitchen, according to figures provided by the ARQ.
“There is no one (in the kitchen), once she tips the restaurant, which earns under $ 16 (per hour), $ 17, $ 18, $ 19,” assures Mr. Beaudin. It can go even higher than that. Tips depend on the sales of the week, it is not a guaranteed salary, since sales fluctuate from week to week, he admits. I can tell you that the restaurant is quite full all the time. The people who work for us as a cook, at the end of the day, at the end of a two-week period, they’re able to pay their rent, pay for their groceries and everything. ”
However, Martin Vézina points out that the average hiring salary – which is $ 18.22 – does not include the sharing of tips. In light of this data, Au Pied de Cochon offers a below-average salary in its advertisement. “In the shortage of manpower, it’s astonishing,” said Mr. Vézina, referring to the remuneration offered by the restaurant on avenue Duluth.
If the latter was not comfortable commenting on the situation of Pig’s Foot, he nevertheless stressed that many restaurateurs had increased salaries to attract employees in the kitchen or to keep their brigade.
“The operators took it from their pockets, they made wage increases. They do not have the choice. We see it, we discuss it with our members and salaries are on the rise. I would be surprised if operators were able to find $ 13.50 employees. ”