After the shock of the pandemic, the recovery is proving rocky for restaurants, which must rely on galloping inflation and a lack of manpower.
Posted at 11:16 a.m.
Several restaurants across the country are having to reduce their hours of operation and offer a smaller menu to deal with these two situations.
Yet customers are hungry for meals in restaurants, especially with the lifting of public health restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Customers are back. But when you don’t have staff to work all shifts, you have to cut back on hours, says Gordon Stewart, executive director of the Nova Scotia Restaurant Association. There are very few restaurants that are open all seven days of the week for full hours. »
The restaurant industry has been hit hard during the long pandemic marked by repeated layoffs and limited capacity. About 13,000 businesses have closed permanently.
The situation has caused an exodus of workers to sectors promising more stable incomes. Some have also decided to return to school. Canada also received fewer immigrants during this period.
Paradoxically, the low unemployment rate, which according to Statistics Canada was 5.2% in April, is not helping restaurants.
As the lucrative outdoor patio season begins, experts predict that the number of available jobs will climb to 210,000 in Canada, says Olivier Bourbeau, Restaurants Canada’s vice-president of federal and Quebec affairs.
“It’s extremely difficult for restaurants to find staff,” he says. We don’t have enough employees. »
The problem particularly affects kitchens.
“We lack chefs, sous-chefs, cooks. That’s what really hurts restaurants,” adds Mr. Stewart.
During the pandemic, some restaurant owners attributed the lack of staff to the financial assistance provided by the federal government. However, the current shortage seems to demonstrate that this is a more complex problem. Employees say that long working hours, unstable schedules, low wages and exhausting conditions, especially in the kitchens, are also factors to consider.
High inflation
Restaurant owners must also count on the escalating cost of living.
Statistics Canada reported that the annualized inflation rate hit 6.7% in March. Food prices have soared, including dairy products, pasta, meats and cooking oils.
“From gasoline to steak, it’s gone crazy,” says Mr. Stewart. Prices are generally on the rise. »
Restaurants have eliminated certain less profitable meals from their menu. They prefer to close their doors at lunchtime, dinnertime or during less busy times of the day. Others reduce portions.
“If you don’t sell a meal after a product’s expiration date, it has to be thrown away,” says Stewart. Orders are smaller. Restaurants are monitoring their inventory more, checking plate sizes and developing smaller menus. »