Restaurants allowed to reopen but the industry still faces many challenges
Park Extension has long been known as a culinary destination in Montreal, showcasing a wide variety of global cuisines with something for just about anyones’ tastebuds. But like so many other sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended the restaurant industry.
After a full month of obligatory restaurant closures due to a surge in COVID-19 cases over the holidays, the provincial government finally gave the go-ahead for restaurants to reopen on Jan. 31.
As of Tuesday, the Legault government also announced that they would allow up to 10 people per table from up to 3 different households as of Feb. 12.
Although restrictions are being lifted for restaurants, the state of the industry in no way resembles what it was at the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago now.
With over 12 cumulative months of forced closures over the past 22 months, many of those still in business are holding on by a thread. A decrease in customers, increased food cost and difficulty in finding and retaining staff are some of the challenges Park Ex restaurateurs have spoken of since reopening last week.
Safety first
Masum Rahman is the owner and manager of Maharani Buffet on Jean-Talon, specializing in South Asian cuisine in a charmingly quaint dining room. Rahman was exceedingly happy to hear he could finally reopen after a full month of forced closure.
“I see a lot of customers that are coming back,” said Rahman, adding that his number one concern at the moment was ensuring peoples’ safety.
“It’s not only for me, it’s for all other people, but you also have to be careful,” underlined Rahman, explaining that was why he was happy with the governments’ gradual reopening plan.
Although he was hopeful things would soon be back on track, Rahman did not mince words on the health of his business. “I’m suffering financially. We’re putting in more hours, it’s not pleasant, but we have no choice,” he said.
Staffing shortages
One of the biggest issues restaurateurs have confronted since reopening is a critical shortage of staff. Rahmani has been in the industry for over a decade and said he had never seen the situation this bad.
“Now I have no people, I have to do the work myself every day. It’s very difficult. This is the biggest problem I think,” continued Rahman.
Further north on Jarry, Fameux Gyros Elatos has still not opened their dining area due to similar staffing shortages and continued restrictions. Sev, the restaurant manager, said that many people had changed industries due to the closures and did not want to return.
“People are asking for 30 to 40 dollars an hour, I can’t afford that,” he said, adding that continued restrictions like the vaccine passport and obligatory masking make the prospect of fully reopening still not feasible.
“The situation is not conducive to me reopening, not because of the COVID-19 itself but rather all the measures in place,” he said. “I’m not going to reopen until everything goes back to normal. It’s not worth it.”
Increased food cost
The health of the industry is not only hinging on pandemic restrictions but also many other external factors. The increase in food cost over the past year have hit restaurant pocketbooks hard.
Joseph, manager of the Miss Jean-Talon Restaurant Pizzeria, said his profit margins were decreasing more and more due to suppliers increasing the price of food and ingredients.
“A case of cheese went up 20 dollars,” he said, adding that many suppliers cited an increase in gas and transport prices as the reason.
“I’m suffering financially. We’re putting in more hours, it’s not pleasant, but we have no choice,”
Record inflation
Record inflation, not seen in over three decades, is also said to be behind a spike in food prices both for businesses and consumers. Numbers recently published by StatCan reported that grocery prices rose 5.7 percent year over year, the largest annual increase since November 2011.
Joseph added that although food cost was up, he couldn’t raise prices for his customers as they would not return. He added the situation in Park Extension was particularly dire as many did not have the budget or desire to eat out.
“If I went to McDonald’s and my trio would cost me eight bucks more, I wouldn’t want it,” said Sev of Elatos Gyros, adding “we can’t raise prices for customers either.”
At Buffet Maharani, Rahman said that his all-you-can-eat business model was becoming more difficult and cutting away his margins. “The price of my meat got double,” he said.
Although the situation for restaurants remains dire, Rahman was cautiously optimistic he would be able to weather the storm. “I’m hoping to survive. I think I’m trying my best, but it’s difficult to say,” he said. “It’s gonna take time.”
