Subsidized vouchers touted for dine-in recovery

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This article was published 10/07/2020 (2116 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Governments need to get creative if they are going to help restaurants recover to pre-pandemic business levels.

While early figures suggest several sectors are on their way to a strong economic recovery, data indicate the food and hospitality industry is lagging behind on several fronts.

Advocates are criticizing one-size-fits-all approaches to economic recovery from government, urging feds to “get creative” or risk losing cultural hubs in city spaces.

“There’s still that sense of hesitation we’re seeing,” said Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

Jonathan Alward of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business pointed to their research which showed only 29 per cent of all restaurants in Manitoba had business at above or normal levels of revenue, with the national average of sales at 24 per cent.

“Yes, every sector is being affected,” said Remillard, “But everyone’s being affected differently.”

“We need better solutions for food and hospitality since recovery for them is very different than, say, energy and gas.”

Canada’s leading food supply chain expert suggests Ottawa look to Britain for solutions.

“We need to vouch for vouchers,” said Sylvain Charlebois, from Dalhousie University, pointing to a British program called “eat out to help out” launching in August.

For 13 days, the program will allow registered establishments to offer meals at a price with a maximum discount of about $15 per person. Consumers can use discount vouchers as many times as they want, even over consecutive days, but will only be allowed to use them for sit-down meals.

“So, if you’re a family of four, your $100 bill would be reduced to just $50,” said Charlebois of the program that will cost Britain more than $1 billion.

“I know that might not necessarily be feasible here in Canada,” he added, “but I urge our government to look at things like that if they’re truly committed to save the hospitality sector.”

Chris Graves, who runs King’s Head Pub in Winnipeg, says he “couldn’t be more ecstatic” about the idea of federally endorsed vouchers.

“That being said, Manitoba needs to do more,” he said. “Our provincial government simply doesn’t understand the hospitality business — if they want to, they need to talk to us.”

“There are so many pubs and restaurants and places I’ve seen across Manitoba shutter and fold forever. Why are the feds the only ones doing something?”

Award-winning chef and food consultant Dana McCauley believes there are many ways for provincial governments to step in.

“The best help we can get from governments right now would be tax breaks and reductions over those fees they’ve continued to mandate,” McCauley told the Free Press.

She said a re-introduction of the dining experience needs to take place — “from someone taking your order to someone playing live music, to other ways you feel special.”

“I don’t know if vouchers would work for all dining restaurants,” she said, “but there’s many other creative ways with apps like Restaurant Roulette that could be promoted.”

Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said it’s all about visual displays, reiterating that messaging from the government “must change about what’s safe, what’s not and what’s at full capacity when it really isn’t.”

“It’s definitely not business as usual,” he said. “Our local places are in deep trouble.

“And at the end of the day what really makes our cities special is the food and people.”

temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca