The movement to save our restaurants continues…

April has come, and with it a host of challenges for the restauranteur. April is typically a period of renewal, and in the restaurant industry it’s no different. Typically the start of a new year is a slow down in sales for most restaurants. Late March and April is where we start to see a pick up in sales as people venture out more in the springtime.

However, this is no typical season. A recent report has stated that COVID-19 has already cost 800,000 jobs in the industry in Canada alone. I’m glad to see the industry mobilizing around the movements #onetable and savehospitality.ca. The need for the independent restauranteur to have their voices heard by the power brokers at our provincial and federal levels of government is greater than ever. Other industries have their groups advocating for massive bailouts. The restaurant industry should be no different.

I’ve written before on this issue. More importantly how I think the restaurant industry is going to be needed to help with the recovery. I believe that other industries will be able to better finance their navigation of this pandemic, as well as their recoveries. The restaurant industry is in a precarious position right now due to it’s structure. Our economy will not be the same post COVID-19. However, a guarantee is that when our social distancing guidelines are lifted, we are going to be itching to be social and eat and be joyful with our friends and families again. That is a demand that is itching to be scratched. We cannot let our restaurants down.