Restaurants in BC hustle to hire as COVID restrictions are scrapped

Diners may be chomping at the bit to get “back to normal” in BC restaurants, but owners struggling with staffing shortages are asking for patience from patrons.

While they work on getting their teams refilled, you might have to wait a bit longer for service.

British Columbians should be understanding of what staff are going through, says the president of the BC Restaurant and Food Association, Ian Tostenson.

“There was a big demographic shift, particularly in kitchens. Our cooks and chefs are getting older; they’re leaving an industry they have been in for a long time,” he says.

“We lost a lot of people because we just couldn’t provide consistency in employment and wages, and understandably, they had bills to pay. But we had to reduce salaries in the last couple of years.”

Now that they can provide more consistency and safety, business owners are calling back the employees they lost.

But filling vacancies might take a while. Tostenson says around 15% of the workers coming back to the industry are new, whereas the rest are returning after a rough couple of years.

“There’s a huge demand from the public, so we’re going to be really busy,” he says. “And that’s a good thing.”

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The BCRFA is planning a social campaign to encourage more youth to get into hospitality. If it works, the campaign should help close the staffing gaps, so many restaurants and bars are facing.

“Go get a restaurant job for the summer and get some experience because they’re great jobs,” says Tostenson.

“There’s great earning potential. There’s skill development in terms of discipline and scheduling and sociability and presentation, so they will learn a lot.”

While they’re trying to “shake the tree domestically” in that way, the BCRFA is also making the most of skilled workers who are newcomers to Canada. The organization is rallying the government to shorten the time period it takes for those workers to be approved.

Owners are going to be stressed out during the transition too. Not only are they likely working on the floor seven days a week, but they’re also trying to turn a profit during a time when diners are just starting to get used to going out again.

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Tostenson recommends owners close early some days to give everyone a break and alleviate the pressure. If they have to take a couple of days off or simplify their menu to make sure staff aren’t burning out, that’s okay, he says.

“But that’s not the long-term solution,” he continues. “A long-term solution is to have a stable, well-paid, well-motivated hospitality workforce for restaurants.”

The BCRFA also has plenty of resources business owners can use to lessen the burden and find solutions. Thousands of restaurants fall under their purview, and they work with the government to find ways to support them.

“We’ve got resources to help them with HR. We have resources to help them navigate through government. We have resources to help them with the liquor policy. We have resources to help them get a patio approval, so we do a lot of things that they just probably don’t have time to do,” he says.

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Jeff Guignard is the deputy director of BC’s Alliance of Beverage Licencees (ABLE BC). He says the return to regular dining is “a good news story,” although staffing remains a huge challenge.

“We are an industry that employs about 190,000 workers every year, and we’re about 20,000 workers short right now, so that is going to have an impact on our ability to reopen to offer the same level of service we had previously,” he says.

“You’ll be able to see it in staff at the clubs or servers or cooks, so it’s going to be a little while yet before we get fully recovered.”

In the meantime, he asks customers to bear with them.

“We’re also working hard to hire, right? We’re paying more in the pandemic,” he says. “The average for servers in BC is $45 an hour — not through the pandemic, but those jobs are coming back, so we’re increasing wages and benefits.”

ABLE BC is trying to ensure staff are available to serve diners while reducing touch-points as much as possible. To attract more applicants, they’re offering flexible shifts and other supports.

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For the liquor industry specifically, Guignard says higher-ups will be dealing with global supply chain issues.

However, they’re also looking forward to making some money for the first time in two years.

“The good news is that this is how we get out of the pandemic, how we wean ourselves off those rent subsidies the government’s providing, which were very helpful during the pandemic — but we don’t want government handouts. We want to get back to work,” he says.

“I think the industry has the tools it needs now, and it’s going to be a really exciting weekend.”

Tostenson anticipates the return to dining “as usual” will be “seamless” despite the labor shortages.

“People might notice a bit of a wait for food, but by and large, the industry is really good at keeping these things behind the scenes,” he says.

How technology is changing the way we order

One exciting change for diners is being able to use technology to order, rather than having a face-to-face interaction.

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While this won’t negate the need for servers, it will give guests a way to order another round or some dessert without having to flag down a team member.

That saves time and lessens the potential of COVID-19 transmission, says Tostenson.

“You just pull it up on your phone and order and that order will go directly to the kitchen, so you’re bypassing the need for a server, and then at the end you suddenly have your food delivered,” he says.

Wanting to leave but unable to find someone to help you settle up? You can do that on your phone now too. Staff will be alerted when you want to get out of there so they can offer you payment options as soon as possible.

“When we started this, it was a bit choppy, but there are some really good systems in place technology-wise,” says Tostenson.

“It smoothed out kitchen operations, and it ultimately requires less labor.”

Guignard says technology will never replace humans in the hospitality industry, but it can reduce the margin for errors and the pressure on staff.

“What you’ll see in a lot of places is that their staff shortage is so acute, we’re looking at technology solutions to eliminate the things you don’t really need. If you just want to sit at this table or reorder another round of the same beer you just had, it’s far easier to just push a button on a tablet or phone than it is to flag down a server, right?” he says.

“Labor costs are going to continue to go up, and we don’t necessarily have the revenue for that right now, so we’re going to find ways to streamline wherever possible.”