Heading into summer 2022, where does Canadian foodservice stand?

By David Hopkins It’s difficult to believe it but we’re already more than a third of the way through 2022. Now, more than two years into the pandemic, Canadian foodservice businesses are continually facing challenges while also experiencing new successes and new innovations. Even as we’re only in the fifth month of the year, there […]

Navi, The Fifteen Group launch restaurant inventory management platform

Toronto-headquartered hospitality technology company Navi Inc. has collaborated with restaurant consultancy firm The Fifteen Group to launch a cloud-based inventory management and cost control platform called Navi Cost Control. The solution intends to help restaurant operators achieve sustained profitability through enterprise-level software, focusing on the three key areas of product cost control, labour cost control, […]

Building for success with your restaurant patio

It may not feel like it just yet, but patio season is on the way again. Programs like Toronto’s CaféTO and Vancouver’s own system will be underway again this spring made permanent in some major jurisdictions, and with hopes of a sustained reopening this time around, it could be a much-needed busy summer for those […]

Ontario may be done with proof of vaccination, but not all restaurants are

By Tom Nightingale Ontario’s mandatory proof-of-vaccination system was scrapped on March 1. Whatever one thinks of the mandates that had been in place for nearly six months, the fact is that this is another decision made by the government at relatively short notice for one of the most beleaguered industries impacted during the pandemic. “It […]

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. […]

Preparing yourself for summer reopening & recovery

Canadian consumers are ready to keep supporting restaurants, but managing your margins and elevating guest experience are musts. By Tom Nightingale Canadian foodservice and hospitality is finally getting on the road to healing the deep wounds of COVID-19. On July 16, indoor dining reopens in Ontario for the first time since Easter weekend, a landmark […]

What today’s diners are looking for in patios

With outdoor dining on various provinces’ agendas heading into summer, David Hopkins offers the need-to-know. By David Hopkins Two years ago, consumers ranked restaurant patios primarily based on their “vibe”, their menu, and their crowd. Now, getting on for 16 months into the pandemic, that can’t be further from the truth. In 2021, it’s all […]

Canadian foodservice is well-placed to embrace the federal single-use plastic ban

COVID-19 complicates things but Canada’s federal single-use plastic ban has been a long time coming and shouldn’t be too troubling for operators.