The COVID-19 pandemic has proven time and time again that dining restrictions are subject to repeated and varied change. Two weeks before Easter weekend, the situation has shifted again in several provinces. Ontario Ontario has announced it will now allow outdoor dining in grey-lockdown zones including Toronto and Peel Region, modifying some of its COVID-19 restrictions. While […]
Restaurant operators are increasingly looking to incentivize vaccinations for their workers, according to a recent survey. Half (50 per cent) of operators plan to encourage and provide incentives for their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey from BlackBox Intelligence. Meanwhile, 39 per cent plan to encourage vaccinations but not to provide incentives […]
The province’s government has acted amid a fierce debate across the province and beyond. By Tom Nightingale The Quebec provincial government has unanimously adopted legislation that temporarily caps large-scale third-party delivery fees in the province while indoor dining remains closed. The new temporary law, Bill 87, caps the commissions charged to restaurants by delivery platforms […]
Ottawa indoor dining limits will be restricted again from March 19 as the city moves into the provincial Red Zone for the first time. Ottawa will move to Red from its previous Orange Zone on Friday, March 19, at 12:01 a.m., health officials announced Thursday morning, as a result of rising COVID-19 cases. According to the […]
The Fund aims to raise $5 million to help a minimum of 1,000 food and beverage establishments across the province in 2021 The Ontario Restaurant and Bar Support Fund has officially launched with the aim of offering financial support to the province’s struggling foodservice operations. The Fund is a registered not-for-profit organization intent on saving […]
Winners can use the COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grants to help offset operating costs amid the ongoing pandemic. DoorDash has announced the Canadian winners of its COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grants program through the company’s five-year, US$200 million Main Street Strong Pledge. The grants come as part of DoorDash providing C$1,125,000 to help eligible restaurants in Montreal, Toronto, […]
Another official indication of just how badly the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Canadian foodservice and restaurant sales has emerged. A Statistics Canada report released last week shows that restaurants and bars across Canada reported their worst year for sales on record. The recent data from Statistics Canada shows that sales at eating and drinking establishments […]
Calgary’s Blowers & Grafton has thrived during the pandemic thanks to painstaking planning and Merchant Growth’s solutions By Tom Nightingale Foodservice and hospitality is often a fine-margin business even at the best of times. There’s so much to juggle financially, from day-to-day product and operational expenses to salaries, from rent and insurance to health and […]
The Ontario Restaurant, Hotel, and Motel Association (ORHMA) has written to the province to make two recommendations for how Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework could be amended to lessen the impact on the foodservice and hospitality industries. Noting that the government will rely on its framework as certain areas reopen for business after the winter shutdown, […]
By Tom Nightingale Alberta restaurants will be able to offer dine-in service again starting Monday, Feb. 8 as part of the province’s plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions. From today, establishments can seat up to six people at each table as long as they are from the same household. People who live alone can go to […]
