How a Pandemic Showcased the Resilience of the Restaurant Industry
As we navigate the 4th wave and 19th month of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitality and restaurants have been one of the most harshly impacted industries. The pandemic has found the industry scrambling to adapt and keep up with the constantly changing public health orders and regulations. The food and beverage community has been forced to remain flexible and adaptive to better serve their employees and communities during COVID-19.
Although the last 19 months have been challenging for these small businesses, it has also showcased to the world the resilience and creativity of the industry. Even here in Kamloops, BC, many businesses and employees have continued with smiles on their faces and a positive attitude to ensure their communities have a safe and trusted place to go and dine.
The Never-Ending Restrictions
The first challenge that the restaurant industry faced was the stay-at-home order. What seems like overnight, full and thriving restaurants had to shut their doors and lay off employees. What was once a place to go and socialize with friends and family now became off-limits and felt unsafe. Restaurants had to make split-second decisions on moving forward, many choosing to offer take-out and delivery options.
From stay-at-home orders to the newest vaccine passport, the list goes on and on of the regulations and changing PHO orders introduced between April 2020 and now.
Examples of restrictions the industry faced:
- 50% capacity limit
- 6 feet between every table + dividers
- 10 pm liquor closures
- Six people per table
- Mandatory masks
- Increased sanitization
- Dine-in closed -patio only
With each one of these restrictions put into place and taken away on very short notices, the industry had to think and act quickly to adapt. Kendra Powell, a long-time employee of a local Kamloops pub, recounts her small pub’s stress during these changes. “It was hard to keep up with how fast things were changing.” Powell recollects the amount of food waste and shortages that the pub was facing. “Restaurants have to order all their ingredients 1-2 weeks ahead of time, and with such short notice of capacity changes or closure, a lot of food was either wasted, or there were shortages because it was difficult to manage the ordering.”
What Restaurants Are Doing To Adapt
Even with these restrictions thrown at the industry, that does not stop business owners from getting creative and modifying their operations to stay in business.
Many restaurants have turned to extended patios. Not only does this gives the restaurant more seats when their capacity is limited to 50%, but it also gives an option to customers who feel more comfortable dining outdoors in the open air. Many restaurants have also relied heavily on online ordering systems, take-out, and delivery.
A creative way that restaurants have pivoted is transforming their business model to offer groceries and provisions. The Noble Pig, located in downtown Kamloops rebranded to a take-and-bake market called “This Little Piggy Went To The Market,” which offered items such as Mac n cheese, dry ribs, mushroom caps, salad, and sauces (Welton, 2020).
The noble pig is not alone; restaurants across Canada have turned to this unique business model to continue cash flow. Some even offering off-site liquor sales, toilet paper, and household items.
Guests should feel safe and confident in the places they choose to go and eat. It is important to recognize the local restaurants that are doing a fantastic job at following COVID-19 protocols. In an interview with CFJC, Kamloops, Operations Manager, and Partner Maeghan Summers states, “We’ve had 18 months of rolling with the punches, and for us, we look at it and go, ‘we have a responsibility to maintain the integrity of our team and just keep everybody feeling comfortable in their workspace.” (Kneeshaw,2021)
What’s Next?
So what does the future look like for our beloved restaurant industry? With the majority of the BC population fully vaccinated, perhaps the end of the pandemic is in sight for this industry.
For now, they will be learning to adapt to yet another challenge, the new mandatory vaccine passport. The passports are meant to be a temporary measure put in place that is set to expire in early 2022, although as we have learned in the past, that date can change at a moment’s notice based on the state of the pandemic (Hunter, 2021).
As for what customers can expect from restaurants in the future, only time will tell. However, customers can remain confident that restaurants have extremely strict sanitization and COVID-19 protocols and remain a safe and trusted place to go and enjoy a meal.
“We’re Still Smiling.”
Over the past year and a half, the industry has proven itself to be adaptive and resilient. Workers are still showing up to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for their local communities. “I still enjoy going to work every day,” says Powell, from the local Kamloops Pub. “I got into this industry because I enjoy socializing with people from all walks of life, and even though we’ve had some challenges this past year, we’re still smiling throughout it all.” Powell isn’t the only one. Our small business owners and employees deserve an enormous amount of respect from the community. They have shown up and provided for us every single day of the pandemic. They are walking proof that not much can dim the resilience of the restaurant industry.
Support Local
Based on a recent campaign launched by Restaurants Canada, “since March 2020, 10,000 restaurants have already closed across Canada, and almost 50 percent expect to permanently close their establishment if conditions don’t improve.” ( Restaurants Canada, 2020)
Even though we feel as though the end is in sight for this pandemic, the restaurant industry will be feeling these effects for years to come. It is still extremely important to get out there and support our local favorites in any way possible. Dine-in, take-out, buy gift certificates, or simply show your support and give your favorite restaurant a shout-out. We don’t want any more restaurants to have to close their doors, and we have the power to help them.
Cassidy Childerley
2021