Date: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM EST
Virtual Conference: RSVP at https://www.livemeeting.ca/register/?meet=6219&rel=6216
TORONTO, Dec. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On behalf of Canada's vital foodservice sector, Restaurants Canada is inviting representatives of the media to a virtual press conference to discuss:
- the current viability of restaurant operations;
- anticipated closures and job losses;
- challenges ahead on the road to recovery; and
- the need for coordinated national action to take the industry from survival to revival.
Restaurants Canada is calling for a national working group to pave the way for the foodservice sector’s revival, building on the commitment in the federal government’s 2020 Fall Economic Statement to provide targeted, sector-specific support to restaurants and other “hardest hit” businesses.
WILL BE PRESENT:
- Todd Barclay, Restaurants Canada President and CEO
- David Lefebvre, Restaurants Canada Vice President, Federal and Quebec
- Brenda O'Reilly, Owner/Operator of O'Reilly's Irish Newfoundland Pub and Yellowbelly Brewery in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Mohamad Fakih, CEO and President of Paramount Fine Foods in Ontario
- Patrick Saurette, Owner/Operator of The Marc Restaurant Group in Alberta
FACTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES:
Job losses: No other sector is still experiencing such a shortfall
- Between March and April, more than 800,000 workers in the Canadian foodservice sector lost their jobs or had their hours of work reduced to zero.
- 426,900 restaurant jobs were recovered between May and September, but then the industry began to lose ground again in October.
- According to the November Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada, there are still more than 260,000 fewer jobs in the foodservice sector than there were in February.
- This is 21% of the restaurant workforce still not recovered. No other industry continues to face this level of shortfall.
Restaurants are a critical, load-bearing pillar of our culture and economy
- Literally and figuratively, restaurants are key to feeding Canada’s recovery: Even during the best of times, the average establishment keeps only about 50 cents of every $10 spent on a restaurant meal.
- 95% of restaurant sales go back into the economy in the form of jobs, food and beverage purchases, contributions to charity and more.
- The restaurant sector is a reflection of Canada’s incredible diversity: Women make up 58% of the foodservice workforce, 31% of restaurant owners, operators and staff belong to a visible minority and half of all Canadian restaurants are run by immigrants.
About Restaurants Canada
Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing the potential of Canada’s diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through member programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s foodservice sector was a $93 billion industry, directly employing 1.2 million people, providing Canada’s number one source of first jobs and serving 22 million customers across the country every day. The industry has since lost hundreds of thousands of jobs and could lose as much as $31 billion in sales in 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.
For more information, contact:
Marie-Christine Garon
Director
NATIONAL Public Relations
C: 514-409-0031
mcgaron@national.ca
Marlee Wasser
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Restaurants Canada
T: 416-649-4254
Toll-free: 1-800-387-5649 ext. 4254
media@restaurantscanada.org