In a race to hire, London, Ont. restaurant owners compete for staff following server shortage
Restaurant owners are once again in friendly competition but this time, the focus has shifted from recruiting customers to hiring staff.
Due to a staffing shortage in the service industry, Edin Pehilj owner of Garlic’s Of London, is starting from the ground up.
‘When the pandemic hit, it was just like everything disappeared.”
Pre-pandemic, Pehlij employed more than 40 staff members at his upscale bistro, but after closing shop to indoor dining for nearly a year and a half, Pehlij was forced to make some major layoffs.
Garlic’s of London, upscale bistro in London Ontario (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
“Despite the core, the chefs and managers, we had to make layoffs.”
In step three of the province’s roadmap to reopen, restaurants have been given the green light to reopen to indoor customers.
When calling staff to ask if they would like to return to work, Pehilj says many had made other plans.
“Contacting those people some of them decided to move on or go to school. And some of them decided to work elsewhere because the patio’s opened before us.”
Now he is in the process of hiring, but so is ‘everyone’ else.
‘Right now everybody’s looking for staff, the people, they are looking for a job, they are in the drivers seat, they can choose what they want.”
Due to a staffing shortage, Pehlij will not be opening on July 16, instead opening on July 21 to allow more time for adequate training.
‘it is a big issue, but like always we will deal with this and probably come (back) even stronger.”
Jerry Pribil owner of Marienbad Restaurant sits on the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA) board.
Pribil says the staffing shortage spans across the entire hospitality sector in Ontario and even Canada.
Jerry Pribil, board member ORHMA (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
“Restaurants, pubs, hotels it's the entire hospitality industry that will have very challenging times.”
Pribil says the pandemic created a lack of job security for service industry workers, forcing many to pursue other professions to keep food on the table.
“They had time to reevaluate their life, they are not forced to start a job tomorrow. Therefore they are understandably looking for the best for them and their life.”
Pribil says unfortunately restaurants owners will continue to compete for staff in the coming months, with many owners losing staff to ‘cousin’ industries, like cooking in long term care homes.
“We are all in the same boat, we are all in the same storm…It’s going to be very difficult for us to complete with hourly wages, salaries and benefits. It’s going be very difficult for our industry after 16 months of such a struggle it will be.”
Pribil thanks all locals who ordered from small eateries through the duration of the pandemic.
Marienbad Restaurant, London Ont. (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
And he advises anyone who loves talking with people to consider pursuing the service industry.
“But again we need to provide a friendly environment and show them the things they could potentially do…in the future they can become the entrepreneurs themselves.’
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.