How to communicate effectively with your employees

By Jessie Oleson Moore Communication is key if you want to have a successful restaurant business. That’s never been more true than today, with the average restaurant turnover rate at an astronomical 70% and employees citing poor communication as the number one reason they leave their jobs. RELATED: 5 skills a restaurant manager needs There’s […]

The importance of workplace safety in hospitality

By Yasmine Mustafa The hospitality industry can be very lucrative for people at all levels of the business. However, many companies in the industry struggle to comply with the workplace safety and health standards required of them, something that has taken on increased importance against the pandemic backdrop. Ultimately, lack of compliance can lead to […]

How to put your employees first to fight ongoing labour shortages

The pandemic brought new, unimagined challenges to the restaurant industry, from closures and loss of business to supply chain delays. In the post-pandemic climate, while some of those obstacles still continue to plague the industry, a newly intensified challenge has dominated: labour shortages. During more than two years of unreliable work, many people quit the […]

Provincial competition law needed to address the power of gig work platforms

By Vasiliki Bednar and Robin Shaban With the invention of gig-based platforms like Uber and SkipTheDishes, the gig economy has not just become an integral part of the labour industry, but also digital society as well. Along with the meteoric rise in popularity of these platforms, many of these companies have “monopsonies” in their industries. […]

Food processors request emergency access to foreign workers

Canadian food industry associations are calling on the federal government to create an “emergency” temporary foreign workers program to address the chronic labour shortages still being seen in the sector. The Canadian Press reports that the group of 10 associations representing the food and beverage processing sector includes Food and Beverage Canada, the Canadian Poultry and Egg […]

Takeout’s toll on restaurant workers, packaging

Takeout has surged in popularity throughout the pandemic. But while the customers are happy and restaurants are surviving, what is the toll on restaurant workers? In tandem with a combination of factors, including dining rooms being closed for long periods, increased technological adoption, and customers’ desire to both continue supporting local restaurants and also attain […]

Labour shortage or poor work conditions? Here’s what’s really vexing Canadian restaurants

By Bruce McAdams and Rebecca Gordon Restaurant operators across Canada are struggling to find enough staff to run their operations. This labour crisis has been highly publicized by Canadian media as a “labour shortage.” A recent survey by Restaurants Canada found that 80 per cent of foodservice operators were finding it difficult to hire kitchen […]

Indeed and OpenTable team up to accelerate U.S. restaurant recovery

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 […]

Handling the continuing restaurant labour shortage

It’s no secret that there is a restaurant labour shortage going on in the industry right now. Long recognized as a high-intensity, low-margin sector, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed many restaurant workers out of the industry, and many seem to have no plans to return. RELATED: The hiring dilemma: Luring restaurant workers […]

The hiring dilemma: Luring restaurant workers amid pandemic damage

Foodservice is facing a staffing crisis as many laid off workers show understandable reluctance to return. So what can operators do? By Tom Nightingale It’s been well-documented that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tight-margin industries like foodservice and hospitality were particularly devastating as closures and numerous restrictions have affected the last 16 months. […]