A shortage of skilled kitchen workers is affecting operations in Vancouver, B.C., and beyond
HEAD TO ANY to any restaurant right now and at first glance, you might think “Pandemic? What pandemic?” Patios are packed (within the new normal of physical distancing and partitions in place) and even at reduced capacity indoors, the buzz is back.
But behind the scenes, a staffing shortage—especially among chefs and kitchen staff—is making the comeback tough.
“Finding qualified staff is next to impossible right now,” says Justin Tisdall, co-owner of Juke Fried Chicken, the Chickadee Room, and Beetbox. “Finding qualified staff that care and are passionate is a needle in a haystack.”
Giuseppe (Pino) Posteraro, founding chef-owner of Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca, puts it this way: “We have a strong core and team in the kitchen and in the front, but it is almost impossible to find qualified and experienced people, especially in the back of the house.”
Across the country, the sector was already short by about 60,000 people before the pandemic started, according to Restaurants Canada.
In B.C., restaurants, pubs, and bars employed roughly 190,000 people prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19 has led to a loss of about 40,000 people, according to the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
Restaurants Canada states that, if government rent and wage subsidies are scaled back as of July 4 as planned, most restaurants will struggle to pay staff and suppliers, and at least half will have to consider closing down for good unless the plan changes. The industry is working with suppliers and customers as part of a Restaurant Survival Coalition, which is demanding an exemption from the scheduled phase-out of the rent and wage subsidies.
The reasons for staff shortages—particularly when it comes to those creating, preparing, cooking, and plating the food—are complex. And it’s not simply because most people working the line typically make less in wages than servers do in tips.
For one, after multiple pandemic lockdowns and rounds of layoffs, many workers are choosing to remain on employment insurance or have found employment in other sectors.
“We have seen many very qualified restaurant workers have left the industry to pursue new careers,” Tisdall says. “The ebb and flow of opening and closures have had a lot of staff bouncing around from business to business, as many restaurants have had to hire and then let staff go and continue this over the past 15 months.
“Wages are skyrocketing and skill levels are not where they used to be,” he adds. “As more and more restaurants have opened up requiring better staff, the options are limited as to people who are A, available, and B, who can do the job.”
Government support and training programs for individual restaurants would help the situation, Tisdall says, the goal being to have more people in the pool. “I think having people understand that this is a career not a hobby means that they can grow and build within this beautiful industry,” he notes.
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post by ChefandCookJobs
