Tim Hortons announced this week that they are going on a domestic hiring spree, aiming to hire 10,000 new Canadian workers. Likely by now, everyone has heard some form of backlash against Canadian restaurants, particularly chains, for hiring international workers. While the truth is that there are very strict limits on those programs, they involve significant costs and the number of international workers at each worksite is restricted, international hiring has still become a source of negative attention for restaurants as employers.
Over the last 10 years, many restaurants have struggled to hire workers, and any solution, including international hiring, provided real support. Canadian Red Seal culinary training programs are still largely modelled on classical French traditions, incorporating limited formal training in global culinary traditions. As a result, restaurants seeking cooks or chefs experienced in Thai, Japanese, Cantonese, Peruvian, and other world cuisines have limited hiring options unless they are prepared to train in-house.
However, the challenge today is the reputational harm that conversations around hiring international workers have had on the industry’s ability to recruit new workers. Years of labour shortage messaging unintentionally reinforced a damaging public perception: “Why don’t Canadians want these jobs?”
It quietly reinforced the idea that the restaurant industry is a high-stress, demanding environment. Some perceptions are shaped by real experiences but restaurants are not inherently toxic workplaces. Organizations like Chefs’ Table Society of BC are leading the way for our industry to change from within. Many operators today are working hard to modernize workplace culture, improve policies, and create healthier environments for staff.
Restaurant work also develops highly transferable skills. People learn teamwork, communication, leadership, problem-solving, and the ability to perform under pressure, skills that benefit workers throughout their careers, whether they remain in hospitality or move into other industries.
The constant portrayal of the industry as undesirable work has created its own reputational problem that we aren’t doing enough to combat. As an industry, we don’t celebrate the diversity of the work in our sector enough. We don’t talk about it as exciting, dynamic, engaging, or built on powerful teamwork.
I firmly believe restaurants are dynamic workplaces where there is a style of food and style of service that can work for almost every employee out there. If you enjoy early mornings: work in a coffee shop or bakery. If you enjoy late nights and unique dining experiences, work in fine dining. Looking for more predictable daytime hours? There are options in senior living, schools, and other community food programs. Want to engage with guests and provide recommendations? Try table service. Prefer a fast-paced environment? Counter service may be a fit. Looking for mobility and career opportunities? Talented chefs and cooks are in demand across the country.
One thing that’s changing in this regard is initiatives like the Alberta Restaurant Hall of Fame. It’s fantastic to see programs like this that celebrate leadership, expertise and commitment. Strong industries create visible role models and mentoring relationships. The Alberta Restaurant Hall of Fame will help the next generation of workers find people they can look up to: not just the celebrity chefs or Instagram-famous personalities, but people recognized by their peers for making a meaningful difference in the industry.
As a Gen Xer, I still think in terms of ‘changing the channel.’ And that’s exactly what the restaurant industry needs to do with its public image. It’s important to be clear that restaurant and hospitality jobs are not simply temporary, school, or summer jobs. Restaurants offer dynamic opportunities that lead to management, ownership, consulting, culinary leadership, tourism careers, and entrepreneurship.
We have to be proactive about celebrating successes of the entrepreneurial and innovative people leading the restaurant industry today. The more we do to showcase excellence and expertise, the more we will encourage others to see that there is a place for them in the sector. That means investing in workplace culture, celebrating mentorship and career growth, and telling more stories about the people building meaningful careers in hospitality.
Tim Hortons announcing a local hiring spree is a first step. But if we want the next generation to see restaurants as meaningful places to build careers, we need to do a lot more work to showcase the innovation, professionalism, and opportunities that already exist within our industry.
If you are a restaurant employer and you want to look at ways to showcase restaurant work in a new light, this September, just outside Whistler, BC, CooksCamp is a real opportunity to network with other professionals and talk about the future of work. In Calgary, also in September, the NEXT Food Expo is a place you can send your team to see, touch and taste top trends in restaurants. The future of restaurant recruitment will depend not only on who we hire, but on how effectively we tell the story of why this industry offers great careers for dynamic people.