A job offer posted by the restaurant Au Pied de cochon in Montreal aroused strong reactions. This announcement indicates that 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).
By comparison, McDonald’s has jobs that pay between $ 15 and $ 17 an hour. Asked by The Press, the co-owner of Pied de cochon, Marc Beaudin, explained that the salary could then vary according to the experience of the candidates who present themselves. According to an article published on the Radio-Canada site, Chief Martin Picard tried to clarify the situation by specifying that he and his team should have indicated a salary “from” $ 13.50 an hour. According to him, the story has “gone into a spin”.
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 make a decent living at $ 13.50 an hour, and it’s oddly ironic that these people are hired to work on products that they themselves cannot afford, ”another Internet user commented. 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 wages 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.
For his part, Mr. Beaudin wished to recall that “there were also [des gens payés] at $ 13.50 who work at McDonald’s ”. “Yes, I would like to be able to 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%.
Marc Beaudin, co-owner of Pied de cochon
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. It is the waiters who decide whether to give part of it to 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 [en cuisine], once she tips the restaurant, which earns under $ 16 [de l’heure], $ 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, director of public and governmental affairs of the ARQ, 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, he nevertheless stressed that many restaurateurs had increased salaries to attract employees in the kitchen or to keep their brigade. The average starting salary calculated by the ARQ has increased by 15% compared to 2019.
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 surprisingly surprised if any operators were able to find $ 13.50 employees.
Martin Vézina, Director of Public and Government Affairs of the ARQ
“What startled me was that it’s still a luxurious restaurant. Not everyone can afford this kind of meal, recalls economist Ianik Marcil. That we pay a cook at minimum wage is incredible. ”
“Even if there was a bonus, a distribution of tips, that we have the nerve to advertise such a low salary for a job that is very demanding, there is something that does not work. I don’t want to target this particular restaurant. There is something wrong with the restaurant business. ”