Canadian restaurants grapple with staff shortages, rising costs
Global News
Restaurants are reducing hours and condensing menus as persistent staff shortages and spiking costs threaten to derail the industry's comeback from COVID-19 restrictions.
When a fried chicken chain opened its first location in Atlantic Canada, it was so popular it had to cut back hours.
The Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen that opened a few weeks ago in a Halifax suburb has reduced its schedule because of high demand that left staff scrambling as customers queued up for hours.
“Due to industry-wide staffing challenges, the store is open for one less hour than before,” Popeyes spokeswoman Emily Ciantra said in an email.
“The restaurant aims to be back to its regular hours by early June.”
The bizarre case of a restaurant so popular it needs to close early underscores a pervasive issue facing restaurants in Canada: A labour crunch.
“The new Popeyes that opened actually had to … cut back hours just to give their people a rest,” said Gordon Stewart, executive director at the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia.
Restaurants across the country are reducing hours and condensing menus as persistent staff shortages and spiking costs threaten to derail the industry’s comeback from crushing pandemic restrictions.
The decision by many restaurants to scale back operations comes despite an upswing in business as diners return to restaurants in full force.
