Restaurants ask for patron patience as Step 3 highlights staffing shortages

Ottawa restaurants can again offer indoor dining, thanks to new rules that have come into place as part of Step 3 of Ontario's economic reopening plan, but some in the industry are having a problem recalling staff members.

“Contrary to a lot of belief out there, they're not all just sitting at home on CERB, just waiting to come back,” says Owner and Operator of the Beckta restaurant group Stephen Beckta. “These are hard-working, dedicated people, that have gone off and had to find other jobs in other industries. And so, it's been really tough for them and so they're not all ready to just jump back in.”

That makes things more challenging when larger indoor and outdoor crowds come out to enjoy meals and drinks. 

“Maybe Monday nights are going to be closed for a month or two until we can hire back these people and get people trained and get our systems back in place,” explains Beckta. “So, I encourage everyone to go out and dine, but please be patient with everyone while we find our groove again.”