As restaurants come back, many wonder: Where are the chefs?
A shortage of skilled kitchen workers is affecting operations in Vancouver, B.C., and beyond
Justin Tisdall, co-owner of Juke Fried Chicken, the Chickadee Room (pictured), and Beetbox, says finding qualified restaurant staff is next to impossible.
HEAD TO ANY to any restaurant right now and at first glance, you might think “Pandemic? What pandemic?” Patios are packed (within the new normal of physical distancing and partitions in place) and even at reduced capacity indoors, the buzz is back.
But behind the scenes, a staffing shortage—especially among chefs and kitchen staff—is making the comeback tough.
“Finding qualified staff is next to impossible right now,” says Justin Tisdall, co-owner of Juke Fried Chicken, the Chickadee Room, and Beetbox. “Finding qualified staff that care and are passionate is a needle in a haystack.”
Giuseppe (Pino) Posteraro, founding chef-owner of Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca, puts it this way: “We have a strong core and team in the kitchen and in the front, but it is almost impossible to find qualified and experienced people, especially in the back of the house.”
Across the country, the sector was already short by about 60,000 people before the pandemic started, according to Restaurants Canada.
In B.C., restaurants, pubs, and bars employed roughly 190,000 people prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19 has led to a loss of about 40,000 people, according to the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
Restaurants Canada states that, if government rent and wage subsidies are scaled back as of July 4 as planned, most restaurants will struggle to pay staff and suppliers, and at least half will have to consider closing down for good unless the plan changes. The industry is working with suppliers and customers as part of a Restaurant Survival Coalition, which is demanding an exemption from the scheduled phase-out of the rent and wage subsidies.
The reasons for staff shortages—particularly when it comes to those creating, preparing, cooking, and plating the food—are complex. And it’s not simply because most people working the line typically make less in wages than servers do in tips.
For one, after multiple pandemic lockdowns and rounds of layoffs, many workers are choosing to remain on employment insurance or have found employment in other sectors.
“We have seen many very qualified restaurant workers have left the industry to pursue new careers,” Tisdall says. “The ebb and flow of opening and closures have had a lot of staff bouncing around from business to business, as many restaurants have had to hire and then let staff go and continue this over the past 15 months.
Fable Diner owner Ron MacGillivray says fewer people are applying for jobs.
“Wages are skyrocketing and skill levels are not where they used to be,” he adds. “As more and more restaurants have opened up requiring better staff, the options are limited as to people who are A, available, and B, who can do the job.”
Government support and training programs for individual restaurants would help the situation, Tisdall says, the goal being to have more people in the pool. “I think having people understand that this is a career not a hobby means that they can grow and build within this beautiful industry,” he notes.
Ron MacGillivray, owner of Fable Diner, says his West Broadway restaurant is not getting as many people applying for positions than in the past.
“I think that a lot of people have found other ways to secure income as they have had time on their hands and a need to supplement income,” he tells Stir. “Some people have decided to pursue that full time, and others are trying something new. A lot of cooks have found other jobs that can pay them the same amount of money and are a lot less stressful on the body and less hours, plus there is more competition and people are able to pick and choose between multiple offers and more guaranteed hours. Staff need to work full time to make it worthwhile to come off of the CRB.”
Emad Yacoub, president of Glowbal Restaurant Group, which operates Glowbal, Coast, Black + Blue, Italian Kitchen, La Trattoria, and other establishments, notes that having the borders closed has exacerbated the issue.
Emad Yacoub, president of Glowbal Restaurant Group, seen at the company’s pandemic charitable-giving program.
“It is extremely difficult to get back to normal when the first problem we have in front of us is having enough staff to open the door,” Yacoub says. “With 10 restaurants to staff, staffing is proving to be the most challenging obstacle opening the door everyday.”
International students typically make up a large contingent of the restaurant business, he adds: “When students come to study in Canada, they are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week. A huge portion of these students chose restaurant jobs to work their allotted hours. With borders being closed and it being harder for students to come, we are seeing a gap in the industry. They always filled those hugely important part-time gaps that we find difficult to fill.
“We need the government to expedite the process of working visas, and allow great workers to stay in the country,” Yacoub adds. “We need them.”
While staffing shortages pre-existed the pandemic, numerous other factors are affecting the situation. Some restaurants—those with financial muscle—are paying staff more than minimum wage, but this isn’t feasible for many smaller places.
“Rents are increasing, minimum wage is increasing, and the cost of living is going up, leaving independent restaurants, already having super thin margins, walking away with even less, which means many of us will be unable to keep our doors open, no matter how quickly we can adapt to changing markets,” Tisdall says. “Right now jobs are going to the highest bidder. Smaller independent restaurants are just outpriced. Staff then have less loyalty and patience if they do not feel it is the right fit.”
Many people, younger workers in particular, don't want to put in the kind of long, late hours the industry is known for. This pushback is leading to a healthy shift in terms of work-life balance, but it’s also resulting in so many culinary talents choosing any other path than being in a restaurant kitchen.
It’s not that people aren’t seeking chef’s training.
At Vancouver Community College, the domestic and international streams of its professional culinary programs are always full, says Dennis Innes, dean of VCC’s School of Hospitality, Food Studies and Applied Business. The international stream is generally sold out a year in advance—and it was throughout the pandemic as well, with the school pivoting quickly to online learning. (Chef-instructor Tobias Macdonald even did some virtual lessons wearing an action cam strapped to his chest. The plan for fall is to have all classes operating in person.) Some international students end up staying in Canada to open their own business; others choose to do so in their home country.
“The domestic student—now that’s a changing demographic,” Innes says. “Some students come in and complete the first level of training. They want to enter the industry as short-order cooks; that’s what they’re looking for and it works very, very well for them. Then we have the students who, for them, cooking is their passion, it’s their life; they’re going to continue on what they love to do.
“What we’re trying to get out to the public first of all is to dispel the whole Hell’s Kitchen thing; it’s changing out there, and there are multiple workplace pathways that culinary students have,” Innes says. “More are are starting their own small business, doing catering business; one recent grad is making his own sauce and selling that. People are working in commissary kitchens to do a takeout model or creating products for their own business. Some will join a hotel chain and have the potential to travel the world; some are working in some of the larger chains like Cactus Club or Earls, which have good training opportunities to move into management. We want students to know if you have a passion for food, there are a number of pathways.”
PICA grads are having no trouble finding work that suits their interests, says the culinary school’s owner Sylvia Potvin.
Sylvia Potvin, owner of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, says that enrollment among domestic students went up over the past year with people opting to retrain during these times of economic uncertainty, with the staff shortage a boon to new graduates. “Our recent grads are actually having an easier time right now finding jobs that suit their interests,” Potvin tells Stir. “We’ve also had many calls from chefs with requests for students to work part time. Wineries in the Okanagan are also looking for qualified grads as well.”
PICA grads have gone on to do everything from work at Michelin restaurants, own their own business, pursue food writing, and more. “The sky really is the limit in our exciting and ever-changing food industry,” Potvin says.
For the sector’s long-term success and sustainability, Potvin echoes Yacoub’s comments that making it easier for international students to stay would go a long way. “It would be a great help to our industry if international students training in culinary and baking and pastry arts at a private career education institute such as ours would be provided with a post graduate work permit,” Potvin says. “Only international students at public institutions are provided with a one-year PGWP unless they are in Quebec, where students in both public and private institutions qualify.
“International students are generally interested in studying both culinary and baking and pastry arts, and that makes them very desirable employees who are flexible enough to cover the demands of a professional kitchen,” she adds. “Having Canadian work experience on their resumes when they return to their home countries is a big advantage for them career wise.”
Straight and Marrow chef-owner Chris Lam has noticed a decline in kitchen staff for quite a while.
Chris Lam, chef-owner of Straight and Marrow, a casual nose-to-tail restaurant in East Vancouver, says that while everyone in the restaurant industry is thrilled to be back open, the pandemic alone doesn’t explain the decrease in available kitchen staff. He says the kitchen industry has been declining steadily for a long time.
“Kitchen work has always been extremely demanding with low incomes compared to front of house positions,” Lam says. “I believe that fewer people are actually choosing to pursue cooking as a career choice, and the ones that still do are the ones that are very passionate about the industry. You have to choose to do it and love it to stay.
“We just have to continue trying to be the best restaurant we can be,” he says. “What I love most about my work are the people. The people I work with, the people that come in, the suppliers—just all the relationships. I love my team here and am extremely proud of how we are persevering during impossible times. This pandemic is really proving what a supportive family the industry is. Everyone is helping each other and only wishing the best for each other.”
As gruelling as the industry can be, it’s that sense of community that keeps it strong. Fable Diner’s Ron MacGillivray says it’s heartwarming to have his staff members and customers back in person. “You create a mini social circle with local restaurants, and getting back to some sort of routine is comforting for a lot of people.”
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