5 tips to attract and hire the best talent for your patio

By Matt Parkin As the warmer weather approaches, restaurants are gearing up for the busy patio season. However, finding and hiring qualified staff to meet the increased demand can be a challenging task. In this article, we will discuss five effective staffing strategies to help your restaurant attract and hire the best talent for the […]

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 […]

Restaurant hiring: how to minimize interview no-shows

Are you scanning resumes, making calls, and scheduling interviews, but dealing with daily no-shows? Being ghosted by prospective employees is a common challenge for restaurateurs. Recent studies indicate that restaurants and bars are about 600,000 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels, so getting past the interview stage is crucial to hiring – and keeping – a […]

1 in 4 Ontario F&B manufacturers waiting more than a year for critical staff

A new study conducted by Food and Beverage Ontario has found that while Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry is seeking to ease its skilled trade shortage by increasing education, employment opportunities, and access to qualified foreign workers, manufacturers are faced with numerous barriers. The report, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, […]

Restaurants can be guilty of overselling diversity, finds report

A new survey released on August 3 by the U.S. National Restaurant Association found that the restaurant industry has a far greater percentage of female entry-level workers than female executives — but restaurants don’t necessarily report that accurately. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), and the Cornell […]

Despite labour crisis, 4 in 10 restaurants can’t afford to hire

As the labour crisis continues to plague restaurants, we are reminded yet again that there is no simple solution. Many restaurants are still struggling desperately to maintain a viable level of staffing, and there is no easy answer. The labour pool has shrunk dramatically with many former gig workers leaving the industry, leaving operators to […]

The Great Resignation: How to attract, retain, and support your team

By Tom Nightingale COVID-19 has brought lasting change to the foodservice and hospitality industry, from the way restaurateurs and chefs manage and lead their business to the way they communicate and support their colleagues and staff. That evolution has been a necessary one, fueled in no small part by the ongoing labour crisis – “The […]

How supply shortages impact menu engineering

Sustained supply shortages are just one of the challenges that still continue to plague restaurants in North America, and the effects of that crunch are felt in everything from menu prices and options to staffing. Anissa Mandell Chance, SVP of Supply Chain at Focus Brands, the parent company of brands including Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill, […]

Complaints about short-staffed restaurants surging in 2022

New data from Yelp has shown that diners are returning to restaurants in droves, flocking to dining rooms in 2022 as the memory of heightened pandemic fears and restrictions fades. That has brought its own problems, though, as complaints about short-staffed restaurants have soared. The new state of the industry report found that customers have […]

Ontario restaurants are increasingly going tip-free

The pandemic and the fallout felt by the restaurant industry has prompted a conversation around tipping, and something of a reassessment of the culture. Now, some Ontario restaurants are beginning to adopt a tip-free model. As noted by CTV News, the crux of restaurants’ argument for going tip-free is that by eliminating tips and increasing […]