'It’s plaguing everybody'; Staff shortage closes historic restaurant in Port Stanley, Ont.
It’s peak-tourism season and nearly 30 degrees Celsius in Port Stanley, Ont. yet the patio at Kettle Creek Inn is empty.
"I'm getting so many phone calls of individuals wanting to book dining here, and I have to confess that 'I'm sorry we're closed'," says Jean Vedova, the Inn’s owner.
While Vedova is thankful her family-owned hotel remains open, the Kitchen has been closed since mid-July due to a staff shortage.
"The good thing is that Dean (her son) is very proficient at making excellent muffins," Vedova says with a laugh.
"I hate turning diners away, and those that are coming to the Kettle Creek Inn are finding it increasingly hard to find a place to eat in the village. It's called shortage of staff, and it’s plaguing everybody."
Jean Vedova, owner of the Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley, Ont. shows off an empty patio. Dining has been shut down since mid-July due to a staff shortage (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Just a few metres away, Two Forks restaurant has a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window looking for kitchen and dishwasher staff.
"We have a good team and they are paid well with benefits," says Terri Collard, Two Forks’ owner.
"Our struggle with the dishwashers is because they are so young, they work limited hours."
At Fanshawe College, Chef Kyle Fee sees the struggles both as an instructor and small business owner.
"As for my own personal experience, we had three interviews lined up last night for my little restaurant and not a single person showed up," says Fee.
"I'm not quite sure what's happened but this is something that I haven't experienced in 25 years."
Fee says many students graduating have gone into the Long-Term Care sector, and despite high wages in the industry, the employee faucet has been turned off.
"There was a lot of times where the people that were working just simply didn't have income because of shutdowns and regulations," says Fee.
"So I think maybe the workers were forced to look elsewhere for employment."
Back near Lake Erie, the Business Improvement Association (BIA) in Port Stanley is concerned with the lack of staff at restaurants and businesses in the village.
"There is a bit of a trifecta of negativity with all the help wanted signs around town," says Michelle Graham, vice-chair of the BIA.
"There's no affordable housing for staff to come down and live in. When they do come down here, they have to pay for parking and even getting down here with the gas prices and if they're from out of town is concerning."
A sign posted outside Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley, Ont. indicates the restaurant is closed. Dining has been shut down since mid-July due to a staff shortage (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)At the Inn, the Vedova family is thinking of ways to re-invent the business after 39 years, and hope to be able to offer dining soon.
"I don't think that we need a chef, I think we just need some very good people in our kitchen capable of doing a more modified menu," says Vedova.
"I know people really, really want to support us. They really want to be able to come back to the Inn. So after 39 years I'm not giving up. We're going to evolve."
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.