B.C. restaurant industry must change to keep workers through pandemic
Posted October 3, 2021 3:52 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Being a server at a restaurant can be challenging at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. Add vaccine passports, capacity limits, and other safety protocols, and it’s easy to see why the industry has lost its fair share of employees since COVID-19 reached British Columbia.
To get past that, President of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association Ian Tostenson says the industry will need to make changes for its workers moving forward.
“You have to look long-term. We have to start looking at more stable scheduling, or predictive scheduling, so that week-to-week when you work you can adjust your life around it,” he says.
“If someone phones me up and says, ‘Can you work in two hours?’ it’s disruptive, so we have to change that.”
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Tostenson says restaurant workers are often busy, but pandemic restrictions only add to the workload.
“From a server’s point of view, first of all, it’s the vax card, then it’s sitting down at your table, making sure the patrons don’t get up and mingle. It’s a lot to think about,” he says.
Tostenson says the sector has lost staff to other industries throughout the pandemic but expects more to come back as government aid programs draw to a close.
Moving forward, he urges diners to continue tipping their servers well. They are dealing with a lot, he reminds British Columbians.
“All of them right now, they’re working so hard … I think most people are tipping at 20 per cent with their eyes closed, just saying, ‘Whatever it takes,’ to recognize the hard work these guys have done,” he says.
