By Mo Chaar With COVID-19 cases increasing and certain restrictions being re-introduced throughout Canada, vulnerable Canadian restaurants are nervous about their future as we enter a new era of government-instated mandates. Mask and vaccine requirements are being implemented across provinces, posing another barrier for restaurants and hindering their rebound from the turbulent year-and-a-half they’ve already […]
Lightspeed Restaurant, a unified hospitality commerce and point-of-sale (POS) platform, has launched in Canada and the United States as a new solution for foodservice operations. Recognizing that indoor dining traffic is resurgent amid fundamentally altered conditions and business needs, Montreal-founded Lightspeed has collaborated with the likes of Upserve, Gastrofix, Kounta, and iKentoo to offer a […]
New data from the U.S. National Restaurant Association has shown how the delta COVID-19 variant drove up the demand for outdoor dining. In a September 2021 survey fielded by the Association, 78 per cent of operators said their restaurant experienced a decline in customer demand for indoor on-premises dining in recent weeks, as a result […]
Vaccine regulations truly are dividing opinion in foodservice. Many restaurant operators do not agree with the new vaccine regulations including mandated proof of vaccination, and while plenty are willing to put up with the measure to safeguard the future, there are still concerns from a significant proportion of operators over a potential long-term adverse effect […]
Several key lifelines emerged for restaurants and other foodservice operations during the worst of the pandemic, from online ordering to curbside pickup and delivery and contactless payments. Another prominent trend was recognition of the importance of loyalty programs. Loyalty programs not only create a lasting connection between patrons and a restaurant and/or brand, but they […]
By Maleeka Singh, Lawrence Goodridge, Maria G. Corradini, Robert Hanner, and Steven Newmaster As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, and the virus continues to circulate, the transmission risks of everyday interactions may become an ongoing concern. A recent study at the University of Guelph looked at the risk of COVID-19 exposure from high-touch surfaces within […]
Restaurants are on a constant journey to innovate and broaden their reach, and the pandemic has only intensified this need. When it comes to social media, Instagram and other ubiquitous platforms have led the way in recent years, but TikTok for restaurants is becoming increasingly essential. In a day when TikTok has arguably overtaken Instagram […]
A new report from the National Restaurant Association suggests that the effects of the pandemic on US restaurants are far from over. According to new data, 78 per cent of US restaurants reported a decline in customer demand for indoor dining in recent weeks due to the rise of delta variant COVID-19 cases. In addition, […]
The number of Canadian small businesses unable to pay their rent in September rose six per cent from the previous month. Alignable’s September Rent Report found that 38 per cent of small businesses in Canada couldn’t pay their landlords last month, with many citing the surge in Delta variant COVID-19 cases as a leading reason […]
Amid an ongoing struggle for labour in the restaurant industry, leading job portal Indeed and OpenTable have joined to launch a month-long hiring initiative specifically aimed at foodservice. According to data from the U.S. National Restaurant Association cited by a press release, the industry has a shortage of over one million workers compared to pre-pandemic […]
