Restaurant success through the pandemic and beyond

If the foodservice industry has learned anything in recent years, it’s that resilience and creativity can mean the difference between success and failure. The restaurants and managers who were able to forge a new path, pivot, and try new things are still standing today, despite continued labour shortages, inflation, and supply chain delays.   Restobiz […]

Consumers say plant-based diets are here to stay

How has the pandemic affected consumers and their everyday diets? A Packaged Facts consumer survey suggests that many consumers made the shift to plant-based diets during the pandemic. While this may have seemed like a temporary step, the survey shows that 30 per cent of participants are still eating more fruit and vegetables than they […]

Inflation overtakes COVID-19 as diners’ main concern

New data from Numerator has shown that consumers’ longstanding concerns over the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic are being replaced by worries about high levels of inflation and other financial constraints. A webinar hosted by Brian Ettkin, Canadian Lead of Strategy & Solutions Consulting at Numerator, assessed the company’s latest month-over-month data and found that […]

British Columbia lifts mask mandate, proof of vaccination to follow

British Columbia has removed the order requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public spaces as of March 11, and the province says that the proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement is likely to be lifted on April 8. However, individual businesses will still be allowed to require masks if the owner decides they would like to, and the […]

Ontario removing mask mandates & most other health measures

Ontario continues to lift its COVID-19 public health measures. As of March 21, mask mandates will no longer be in effect in most settings, including restaurants. The dropping of mask mandates will see the province take the next step in removing restrictions after it recently ditched mandated proof of vaccination and reopened businesses at full […]

Two new grants available to Canadian restaurants

Eligible Canadian restaurants now have two further grants potentially available to help cope with the impacts of COVID-19. On March 4, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the launch of the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. The program aims to assist these businesses, including restaurants, in growing their online […]

Numerous provinces lifting various COVID-19 restrictions

Several Canadian provinces are tweaking their plans for the next few weeks and relieving some of their COVID-19 restrictions. On February 8, the Alberta government announced that effective at midnight that night, it is scrapping its mandatory proof of vaccination policy. Premier Jason Kenney said his “careful and prudent” plan will allow the province to […]

After Omicron delay, summer should help foodservice get back on track

The rise of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has, of course, delayed what was hoped to be a year of recovery starting right from the off in 2020. However, there is hope that a continued encouraging prognosis and a bumper summer could have the industry back on track by the second half of the year […]

Omicron hurting restaurants, particularly in Ontario

Despite improving COVID-19 numbers, the Omicron variant has hurt Canadian restaurants badly in recent weeks and the pain continues to be felt. A new report from Alignable based on a survey conducted in late January shows that 80 per cent of responding restaurants across Canada and the U.S. said that they have been hurt by […]

5 tips for reopening your restaurant in 2022

By Megan Prevost Over the past two years, sustaining a profitable restaurant has proven difficult. Even some of the best, well-off local shops closed because of the changes in the restaurant industry. With coronavirus restrictions lifting and more people going out to eat, 2022 might be the perfect time for reopening your restaurant.  Many business […]