Some Toronto restaurants gearing up for patio dining this Friday face staff shortages
Restaurants across Ontario are scrambling to set-up patios as outdoor dining is set to resume on Friday, but with many employees not returning to work, finding new staff is proving to be a big challenge.
“A bit over 50 per cent (staff) returned,” said Oretta bar manager Alessandro Aureli. “We thought we were going to get more people to come in, but some of our staff have moved on, don’t feel safe yet to come back and that is understandable.”
The King Street West restaurant has been proactively planning for the return of patio season and even held a hiring blitz last week, but they will still be short staffed —meaning managers will have to serve and bus tables themselves.
“I thought we were going to get a better response,” said Aureli, who adds it’s highly competitive in the industry to hire experienced staff. “If you like someone you have to hire them right away – we were getting emails two hours later saying they accepted another job.”
The Ontario government had originally estimated moving into Step 1 of its reopening plan the week of June 14 and the decision to move it up a few days ahead of schedule caught some restaurants by surprise.
“We didn’t expect this Friday to be open, we’re always aiming for June 14 and it’s hard to rally employees to get their schedule in place so soon,” said Belfast Love manager Claudio Savone.
He said only about a quarter of their staff will be returning for this weekend.
“Luckily, we have three other venues to support us.”
According to Restaurants Canada, the food service and hospitality industry employed 454,000 people in Ontario before the pandemic. That number was down to 326,000 as of May 2021.
For much of the pandemic, dinning has been prohibited and industry experts say the cycle of shutdowns and reopenings has forced many people to make a career change.
“A lot of staff have been laid off for so long, have left the industry and taken other jobs,” said James Rilett, Vice President, Central Canada, for Restaurants Canada.
“You have to have certainty, you have to be able pay your bills and feed your families –it is hard to replace them, these are a lot of talented staff, so there will be some bumps in the road.”
Another factor Aureli believes is financial support from the federal government including the CERB that was introduced in early 2020 as COVID-19 forced many businesses to close.
“A lot of the jobs are minimum wage, or below minimum wage – for some people the choice is easy and it is better to be home and safe.”
Despite the staff shortages, many restaurants say they will make due, planning more hiring blitzes when there is a guarantee that indoor dinning will be allowed again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.