March 2018 Digital Issue

Challenges and Opportunities issue 

MINDFUL 

MENUS 

A look at healthy 

eating trends 

OVEN 

REFRESH 

Innovation meets 

tradition when 

it comes to 

oven choices 

SMOOTH 

SAILING 

Smoothie popularity 

is on the rise 

in restaurants 

UNDER 

FIRE 

Operators are 

taking hits in 

an increasingly 

challenging 

industry 

CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470 

THE NEXT 

INSTALLMENT 

OF OUR 

BI-MONTHLY 

GO LOCAL 

SERIES 

ANNIVERSARY 

TH 

MARCH 2018 $4.00

VOLUME 51, NO 3 | MARCH 2018 

CONTENTS 

CELEBRATING 

YEARS 

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ISSUE 

IN THIS ISSUE 

25 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 

Exploring four industry roadblocks 

and offering smart business solutions 

9 

26 LABOUR 

Why creating an attractive workplace 

is an important part of retaining talent 

28 FOOD COSTS 

Rising food costs have operators 

re-examining menu prices 

14 

30 TECHNOLOGY 

Why restaurants need to 

embrace the Digital Door 

FEATURES 

32 LIQUOR LAWS 

How liquor policies continue to 

create headaches for operators 

9 CHASING A DREAM 

Chase Hospitality Group is on 

an upward trajectory 

44 

12 LOOKING BACK 

Many of today’s industry challenges 

have been around for a long time 

37 

DEPARTMENTS 

MARGARET MOORE [COVER GRAPHIC] 

13 LOCAVORES UNITE 

It takes a strong supplier/chef 

relationship to make local eating work 

14 HEALTH CHECK 

Examining trends in healthy eating 

35 SMOOTH OPERATORS 

Why smoothie sales 

continue to grow 

37 A LA CARTE 

Operators are looking to tradition 

and innovation when choosing ovens 

43 AUTOMATION NATION 

A look at the role of artificial 

intelligence in restaurant settings 

2 FROM THE EDITOR 

5 FYI 

11 FROM THE DESK OF 

ROBERT CARTER 

44 CHEF’S CORNER: 

Jon Svazas, 

Bar Laurel and Fauna, Ottawa 

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM 

MARCH 2018 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 1

FROM THE EDITOR 

Start a conversation with anyone in the foodservice 

industry these days and one word quickly surfaces — 

challenges. Never has the industry been faced with a 

litany of so many obstacles and never have restaurateurs 

felt as pummelled as they do today. 

Whether it’s wage increases, staffing issues, government interference, 

increased real-estate prices or the ever-invasive tentacles 

of technology and how it plays into the business — operators 

are feeling bruised and battered. Who can blame them? 

But, as challenging as operating a foodservice business can be, 

running a restaurant is also addictive and, for many operators, 

breaking free of its hold is not an option. 

More and more, as I talk to operators from across the country 

— from QSR to casual — the frustration is palpable, leading one 

to wonder just how the industry can move forward. And, while 

it’s easy to get knocked down, unable to find the strength to 

rebound, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the operators who 

will succeed on this front are the ones who rise to the challenge, 

fuelled by innovation. 

As Bruce McAdams, assistant professor at the School of 

Hospitality at the University of Guelph, said recently during 

RISING 

TO THE 

CHALLENGE 

Foodservice and Hospitality’s webinar on the 

impact of minimum-wage increases, “We often 

hear about food innovation,” but we rarely 

talk about innovation in other facets of 

the business. 

By our very nature, human beings don’t like 

change, as it makes us feel uncomfortable. At 

our core, we’re all creatures of comfort. 

We don’t’ like the unexpected and most of us 

don’t handle it well. But, ironically, we’re 

living in a world of daily disruption. 

Today, more than ever, with the advent of 

the digital age, disruption is de rigueur, thrust 

at us in myriad ways. Whether we are talking 

about the publishing industry — which 

has been forever altered by the advent of the 

Internet — or whether we’re talking about 

the massive changes fuelled by disruptors 

such as Uber and Airbnb, we’ve all been 

impacted inalterably. 

Clearly, disruption is forcing innovation. 

But, with the number of challenges growing 

by the day, the innovation required in this industry moving 

forward is more pronounced and profound than it’s ever been. 

To succeed in this new landscape, innovation will be required in 

more than just the menu or even the design of a restaurant. It 

will require creative engineering in how restaurants are staffed, 

how employees are treated and compensated, how diversity is 

highlighted and how restaurants are run. Moving forward, the 

industry will need to put aside outdated models that no longer 

work and start fresh with new perspectives that suit the times in 

which we’re living. The sooner these changes are made, 

the better. 

ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com 

@foodservicemag 

facebook.com/foodservicehospitalitymagazine 

instagram.com/rosannacaira 

NICK WONG, LOCATION PROVIDED BY VIA CIBO 

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2018 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EST. 1968 | VOLUME 51, NO. 3 | MARCH 2018 

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA 

ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE 

MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK 

ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK 

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR TOM VENETIS 

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS 

SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR JHANELLE PORTER 

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST 

ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI 

ACCOUNT MANAGER ELENA OSINA 

ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN 

CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS 

CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU 

ADVISORY BOARD 

CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO 

CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI 

FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK 

FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER 

FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN 

JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES 

KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN KATIE JESSOP 

LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON 

WELBILT JACQUES SEGUIN 

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & 

TOURISM MANAGEMENT BRUCE MCADAMS 

SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON 

SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS 

SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD 

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON 

THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN 

UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE 

To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com 

Published 11 times per year by Kostuch Media Ltd., 

23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Tel: (416) 447-0888, 

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Printed in Canada on recycled stock.

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MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY 

iSTOCK.COM/NONGPIMMY [BY THE NUMBERS, GRAPHICS] 

THE MORE, 

THE MERRIER 

In late January, Cara Operations 

Limited announced it had 

entered into an agreement 

to grow its brand portfolio 

through the acquisition of Keg 

Restaurants Ltd. (KRL). 

As part of the proposed $200-million 

merger deal, KRL president and 

CEO, David Aisenstat will continue to 

oversee the Keg brand — which will 

operate as a fully owned subsidiary 

— while assuming oversight of Cara’s 

higher-end casual brands — The 

Bier Markt, the Landing Group and 

Milestones restaurants. He will also 

Cara continues 

to grow its 

full-service empire 

BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

join the Cara board of directors as 

vice-chairman. 

Cara and KRL have confirmed to 

The Keg Royalties Income Fund that, 

notwithstanding the merger, The Keg 

will continue to operate as it has previously 

under Aisenstat’s leadership. 

“We’re incredibly excited about 

this, [though] there is still lots to figure 

out,” Bill Gregson, president and 

CEO of Cara said in a conference call 

in January. “We believe strongly that, 

together, we will be much stronger 

than we were apart. I have worked 

with David and have certainly got- 

BY THE 

NUMBERS 

Following the 

acquisition of Keg 

Restaurants Ltd., 

Cara Operations 

Limited will 

boast: 

1,365 

restaurant 

units 

18 brands 

Fairfax 

will hold 

43.5% 

interest 

in the 

combined 

company 

Since October 

2013, the company 

has made eight 

major acquisitions 

encompassing 

630 units 

ten to know him on The Keg board, 

but also socially…I very much look 

forward to working with David and 

learning from [him].” 

As Robert Levy, president of 

BrandSpark and former VP of 

Branding at Cara, told the Financial 

Post, this merger has been a long time 

coming. Cara reportedly attempted to 

acquire KRL more than two decades 

ago, but was outbid by Aisenstat, who 

purchased the brand from Whitbread 

PLC in 1997. He currently owns 

49 per cent of KRL, with Fairfax 

Financial Holdings Limited holding 

the remaining 51 per cent. 

The addition of 106 Keg 

restaurants will boost Cara’s restaurant 

portfolio to 1,365 restaurants. 

The merger is expected to result in 

synergistic opportunities in marketing, 

real estate and overall costs that 

will help further grow the Keg and 

Cara brands. 

“One of the areas where we’ve 

done particularly well over the last 

few years is in marketing and a lot 

of that has involved some shifting 

from [being] very TV focused…[to] 

doing more and more digital, social 

media and promo [marketing],” says 

Aisenstat. “We’ve really managed to 

do well with the marketing to attract 

younger guests…we will bring a lot to 

the table with the Cara brands 

as well.” 

The deal is expected to close by the 

end of Q1 2018. 

METAMORPHOSIS Cara Operations Limited has indicated it intends to change its corporate name following the closing of 

its acquisition of Keg Restaurants Ltd. “[The] new name will better reflect the evolution that Cara has gone through over the last 

number of years, in terms of transactions such as St-Hubert, Original Joe’s and now The Keg,” explains Bill Gregson, president 

and CEO of Cara. At this time, no indication has been given of what the new name might be.. 



TASTE CANADA AWARDS 

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN 

MONARCH 

& MISFITS 

has opened 

its newest 

Sweet Jesus 

franchise 

in downtown 

Toronto 

at CF Toronto 

Eaton Centre 

Chef Alex Chen 

of Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar in Vancouver 

beat out 10 competitors to take top spot at 

this year’s Canadian Culinary Championships in 

Kelowna, B.C. Chen won the day with his finale 

dish: parfait of 

wild B.C. shellfish, 

“chowder” northern 

divine caviar 

and bull’s kelp 

“brioche” paired 

with Sea Star 

2016 Ortega from 

Pender Island, B.C. 

The Taste Canada Awards is now accepting submissions 

for 2018. Publishers and writers are invited to submit 

books and blogs published in 2017 for consideration. 

The annual awards will honour 20 jury-selected books 

and four blogs in English and in French, authored by 

Canadian citizens, in the following categories: General 

Cookbooks/Livres de cuisine générale; Single-Subject 

Cookbooks/Livres de cuisine sujet unique; Regional/ 

Cultural Cookbooks/Livres de cuisine régionale et culturelle; 

Culinary Narratives/Narrations culinaires; 

Health and Special Diet Cookbooks/Livres de cuisine 

santé et diète particulière; General Food Blogs/Blogues 

généreaux; and Health & Special Diet Food Blogs/ 

Blogues santé et diète particulière. More information 

about the awards and submission procedure is available 

at tastecanada.org. 

Meal Exchange 

Releases Campus 

Food Report Card 

The first-ever Campus Food Report 

Card, released by Toronto-based 

Meal Exchange, indicates four out 

of five students want access to more 

local foods. The report is a preview of 

the most comprehensive assessment of 

student satisfaction with the food at 

Ontario universities to date. Findings 

show students want their campuses to 

support local farmers and producers. 

The report card’s top-performing school 

is the University of Guelph — which 

makes significant efforts to advertise 

its local-food initiatives to its students. 

Rounding out the top-five schools were 

Ryerson University, Queen’s University, 

Algoma University and Trent University. 

At the University of Guelph, local food 

accounts for approximately half of the 

school’s food budget. Other universities 

have room to grow, with many reporting 

between 10 and 24 per cent of food budgets 

spent on local ingredients. 

COMING 

EVENTS 

MARCH 17-18 Expo Manger Santé et Vivre 

Vert Centre des congrès, Quebec City. 

Tel: 438-405-8384; email: contact@ 

expomangersante.com; website: 

expomangersante.com/en/ 

APRIL 17-18 14th Annual North American 

Summit on Food Safety, Toronto Airport 

Marriott Hotel, Toronto. Tel: 416-674-9400; 

email: customercare@strategyinstitute.com; 

website: foodsafetycanada.com 

APRIL 23 Terroir Symposium, Art Gallery of 

Ontario, Toronto. Tel: 905-949-8255, ext. 223; 

email: agatha@ontarioculinary.com; website: 

terroirsymposium.com 

APRIL 26 The 28th Annual OHI Gold Awards 

dinner, Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto. Tel: 

416-644-3601; email: contactus@theohi.ca; 

website: theohi.ca 

MAY 10 Icons & Innovators Breakfast Series 

with Chris Cahill, The Globe & Mail Events 

Centre, Toronto. Tel: 416-447-0888 ext. 235; 

email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; 

website: hoteliermagazine.com/shop 

FOR MORE EVENTS VISIT http://bit.ly/FHevents 

Revered French chef, Paul Bocuse passed 

away on Jan. 20 at the age of 91. Bocuse is 

heralded as the chef behind the Nouvelle 

Cuisine movement, as well as the founder 

of Bocuse d’Or — an international culinary 

competition, which launched in 1987. He 

also operated Paul Bocuse Restaurant — a 

three Michelin-star restaurant — and The 

Abbaye banquet hall in Lyon, France. 

iSTOCK.COM/FALARA [LOCAL FARMING GRAPHIC] 


Industry Mourns 

Passing of John Bil 

OUTDOOR/INDOOR Furniture From 

Italy, Spain, USA & Canada 

Stocked in Oakville, ON. 

Ship next day! 

Influential Toronto 

restaurateur John Bil 

passed away after having 

reportedly been diagnosed 

with Stage 4 melanoma in 

late 2013. The co-owner 

of Honest Weight seafood 

restaurant and seafood 

counter in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood also helped open 

Montreal’s Joe Beef, New York’s M. Wells Steakhouse and Ship 

to Shore on Malpeque Bay, P.E.I. — where he was best known to 

Islanders as a multiple winner of the Canadian Oyster Shucking 

Championship, held each year in Tyne Valley, P.E.I. Bil leaves a 

legacy of helping to open some of Canada’s best restaurants and 

championing the country’s sustainable fisheries. He is survived by 

his wife, Sheila Flaherty. 

RESTO BUZZ 

Mister C. 

Canada’s first chef’s hall has opened in downtown Toronto. Assembly 

Chef’s Hall brings together 17 top Toronto chefs for a unique food 

experience. It boasts 18,000 sq. ft. of indoor and 3,000 sq. ft. of outdoor 

space, as well as a sprawling beer hall and coffee bar...INK Entertainment 

will open its newest restaurant, Sofia, in spring 2018. Located in the heart 

of Yorkville, Sofia will serve seasonal Italian dishes curated by up-andcoming 

executive chef Christine Mast. Items will include a selection of 

antipasti, pasta, carne and pesce...ICONINK has opened Mister C. at the 

Bisha Hotel Toronto. Previously referred to as the Lobby Lounge, Mister C. 

offers patrons cocktail and dining menus in an intimate setting, complete 

with birdcage bar shelves, an onyx bar top, dark green furniture, green 

velvet walls and an eye-catching circular fireplace. 

Opening a new restaurant? 

Let us in on the buzz Send a high-res image, menu and background 

information about the new establishment to tvenetis@kostuchmedia.com. 


SHOWROOM HOURS 

Monday to Friday 9AM to 5PM 

Evenings & weekends by APPT 

2018 Quick Ship available at 

www.BUMCONTRACT.com 

2400 Winston Park Drive 

Oakville, ON 

855-337-2995 

info@bumcontract.com

IN BRIEF 

Smoke’s Poutinerie, in cooperation with the 

Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), is 

opening a new location in the heart of Toronto’s 

Pearson International Airport, in Terminal 3 

Arrivals. The partnership between Smoke’s 

Poutinerie and HMSHost, which operates this 

location, is bringing the great outdoors to 

travellers inside the airport with Smoke’s first 

mobile food-truck-style eatery...McDelivery 

with Uber Eats has arrived in Vancouver 

through a partnership between 11 MacDonald’s 

restaurants and Uber Eats. 

PEOPLE 

Tracy Steinwand is the new director of Global 

Operations for Subway. In her new role, 

Steinwand will lead all aspects of Subway’s 

global operations, including restaurant and field 

operations, and transforming the customer 

experience in restaurant...Jeff O’Neill, president 

and COO of High 

Liner Foods 

Inc.’s Canadian 

operations, 

is leaving the 

organization. The 

company does not 

intend to fill this 

Jeff O’Neill position, but will 

instead restructure 

the leadership of its Canadian operations to 

improve its marketing and sales effectiveness 

and reduce fixed costs. 

SUPPLY SIDE 

The American Metalcraft Product catalogue for 

2018 has been released. The catalogue this year 

features the Crave Collection — a new line of 

break-resistant melamine plates, platters and 

bowls — which marks American Metalcraft’s 

entry into the dinnerware category...Citron 

Hygiene LP has completed the acquisition 

of Hygiene Solutions Inc., a Chicago-based 

washroom-hygiene services company. Citron 

Hygiene is a leading provider of commercial 

washroom and foodservice hygiene, pestcontrol 

solutions, warewash and chemical 

solutions and a broad range of other facilitybased 

products and services...Bonté Foods has 

entered into a co-packing agreement with 

Atlantic Meats to launch a new line of saltedmeat 

products and recipes into the Canadian 

market under the Chris Brothers name... 

Alto-Shaam Inc. has expanded its Vector Series 

Multi-Cook Oven line with the introduction of F 

Series full-size electric models...Heineken 

0.0 alcohol-free lager is now available in 

Canada. The brand’s iconic green label has 

been turned blue — the colour associated with 

the alcohol-free category. Available in more 

than 16 markets around the world, Heineken 

0.0 comes in six-packs of 330ml cans and 

bottles...Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. has been 

named Distillery of the Year at the Canadian 

Whisky Awards held in Victoria. In addition, to 

the Distillery of the Year award, Hiram Walker 

& Sons also claimed the title of Whisky of the 

Year for its J.P. Wiser’s 35 Year Old. 

WHATEVER YOUR PALETTE, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED 

1.888.640.2333 CHEFWORKS.CA 

BACK OF HOUSE • WAITSTAFF • COATS • SHIRTS • PANTS • APRONS • HEADWEAR

PROFILE 


Chase Hospitality Group is taking its successful business south of the border 

It’s set to be a 

huge year for 

Toronto-based 

Chase Hospitality 

Group (CHG). 

Late last year, the 

company announced 

two new partnerships 

that will see it expand, 

not only beyond 

Toronto, but beyond 

Canada in 2018 — 

nearly doubling its 

restaurant portfolio in 

the process. 

The first of these 

announcements 

detailed plans for a 

U.S. outpost of the 

company’s 100-percent 

plant-based 

concept, Planta. The 

new location will open 

in Miami Beach, Fla. 

through a partnership 

with Miami-based 

hospitality entrepreneur 

David Grutman, 

who owns night-life 

venues, is a partner in 

Komodo eatery and 

lounge and recently 

opened OTL 

restaurant in Miami. 

“We’ve always 

been a good friend of 

Dave’s. We have tremendously 

admired 

his talent and ability 

to really market 

both himself and the 

experiences that he 

represents,” says Steven 

Salm, president, CHG. 

“He completely fell in 

BLAST FROM THE 

PAST The original 

Colette Grand Café 

in the Thompson 

Hotel, Toronto 



PROFILE 

At the end 

of 2017, 

CHG had a 

portfolio 

of seven 

restaurant 

concepts. 

Its new 

outposts 

will bring 

the count 

to 13 

restaurants 

in 2018 

Planta’s smoked 

carrot “hot dog” 

(above); Planta 

Yorkville (right) 

love with our Planta brand and experience as well, so it was 

a great opportunity to leverage that and partner together.” 

Planta’s Miami location, which is set to open early this 

year, will be CHG’s first U.S. location. Salm explains the 

company had been exploring options for U.S. expansion 

prior to partnership discussions with Grutman, which solidified 

the location choice. “Having local presence and being 

super confident in the marketplace is really important for 

us,” he says. “Having Dave as our partner was an amazing 

opportunity and, really, the only option we would consider 

because he brings such tremendous value to validate and 

support the brand [in that market].” 

The 200-seat restaurant will be designed by the team 

behind the original Planta location — Toronto-based East 

Studio — but will be “a much more tropical version of 

Planta in Toronto, [with] lots of great textures and materials,” 

notes Salm. 

The new restaurant will also include features 

unique to the outpost, such as a rooftop 

“farm” and a plant-based sushi bar. As 

with the original location, “everything will 

be under chef David Lee’s leadership, but we 

will absolutely be engaging a sushi chef for 

this restaurant,” Salm adds. 

When asked why this was an opportune 

time to expand beyond Canada, Salm says 

“I’m not sure there ever is a good time. 

With what’s going on in the various cities, 

we saw it as a good time to begin telling 

our story to different markets. We have 

obviously settled in within the Ontario and 

Toronto market and now we are focused on 

the U.S. a little bit more — just to appeal to 

a larger audience.” 

Planta’s Miami opening is just the tip of 

the iceberg when it comes to CHG’s 2018 

expansion plans, thanks to a 

new, first-of-its-kind 

partnership with Holt Renfrew. 

The partnership, which was 

announced in mid-December 

2017, will see CHG’s Colette 

Grand Café concept replace 

Holts Café locations in 

Edmonton, Montreal and 

Vancouver, as well as 

Toronto’s Yorkdale and Bloor 

Street locations. 

“It’s been a great learning 

and discovery relationship,” 

Salm says of the partnership. 

“First and foremost, we had to 

ensure the companies’ cultures 

and visions were aligned to 

craft such a unique partnership. We are very excited to 

work together.” 

The original Colette Grand Café location, which opened 

in 2014, is a French-inspired restaurant located in Toronto’s 

Thompson Hotel. The restaurant features a dining room, 

library and lounge, as well as a bakery-café. 

Salm notes the Holt Renfrew locations “will feature both 

quick and coursed-meal options, catering to all clientele. 

The menu will be seasonal, with unique features for each 

region to suit local tastes.” 

As part of the partnership, the teams from each of 

the Holts Cafés set to be replaced are expected to transition 

through the rebranding of the restaurants, which is 

expected to begin early this year. The design details for the 

Colette outposts are yet to be finalized, but further details 

are expected to be released in the coming weeks. FH 


FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 

THE PREMIUM-CASUAL EFFECT 

Premium-casual restaurants are 

defying Canada’s no-growth reality 

iSTOCK.COM/3DMASK [NEWTON CRADLE] 

In 2017, sales at full-service restaurants 

(FSR) slipped two per cent to a total 

of $21 billion — another decline in an 

industry that hasn’t seen any real growth 

in more than five years. During that time, 

traffic also fell four per cent to 1.3 billion visits. 

On the other end of the spectrum, sales at 

fast-food outlets rose three per cent to 

$27 billion and traffic picked up two per cent 

to 4.6 billion visits, according to data from 

The NPD Group, as consumers 

migrate to “dining alternatives.” 

However, despite declining FSR 

sales, a small sub-segment called 

“premium casual” (think The 

Keg, Moxies, Cactus Club, Earls, 

et cetera) is experiencing strong 

growth. While it represents only a 

nine per cent share of casual-dining 

restaurant traffic in Canada, 

premium casual has increased 

traffic by seven per cent and increased sales by 

eight per cent — no small feat in an industry 

that has come to accept a “no-growth” reality. 

Restaurants in this category are a bright 

spot in the Canadian restaurant market. 

Boasting some of the strongest customer- 

THE HOPE IS TO 

DRAW IN THE 

PREMIUM- 

CASUAL CROWD 

AND TO STAVE 

OFF THE EFFECTS 

OF TRAFFIC 

STAGNATION. 

loyalty scores of any restaurant chains in 

Canada and consistently increasing customertraffic 

rates while steadily increasing sales. 

This growth is especially relevant to fullservice 

operators, since premium casual is 

one of the main sub-segments that is stealing 

share away from traditional full-service 

restaurants. Throw in increasing competition 

from QSR, prepared meals at grocery and 

new digital-delivery platforms, and you can 

quickly see why the future looks 

challenging for traditional FSRs. 

Another driving force behind 

the declines is the fact families are 

seeking new alternatives to FSR. 

In fact, FSR traffic for “parties 

with kids” is down significantly 

since 2012, averaging a four-percent 

decline year-over-year. 

And, while families still comprise 

23 per cent of overall visits at FSR, 

they are currently driving 39 per cent 

of declines. 

Millennials are also contributing to 

declines at FSR, as the age demographic of 18 

to 34 has seen ongoing annual traffic declines 

since 2012. Many of these individuals have 

been drawn to QSR offerings — a troubling 

trend for FSR operators since the share of 

millennials will increase in Canada over the 

next decade, while the share of Boomers 

(who are currently driving growth at FSR) 

will decline. 

So what’s an FSR operator to do? 

We have seen traditional FSRs stepping up 

their game in an attempt to “premiumize” 

their offerings. The hope is to draw in the 

premium-casual crowd and to stave off the 

effects of traffic stagnation. While this strategy 

may prove to be successful for some, others 

will likely run into the difficulty of being categorized 

as a “me-too” brand, which is exactly 

the opposite of what the young 

millennial cohort craves. FH 

Robert Carter is executive 

director, Foodservice Canada, 

with the NPD Group Inc. He 

can be reached at robert. 

carter@npd.com for questions 

regarding the latest 

trends and their impact on 

the foodservice business. 



LOOKING BACK 

TH 

ANNIVERSARY 

THE GOOD FIGHT 

As the industry has evolved, some key 

challenges have been hard to shake 


1970s 

1976 

LABOUR SHORTAGES have plagued the hospitality sector for decades 

and continue to do so today. Over the years, a variety of articles addressing 

this issue have appeared in F&H. In 1979, the Canadian Restaurant 

and Foodservices Association (CRFA, now Restaurants Canada) 

predicted approximately 25,000 new foodservice workers would be 

needed each year. 

Keeping abreast of technology is a neverending 

struggle in the industry. Though 

innovation hasn’t always moved at the 

same breakneck speed, a 1976 story on 

trends shaping the industry noted new 

electronic equipment presented “serious 

new problems,” as maintenance and 

repair knowledge lagged. 

“ 

From the technical point of view, the 

industry is outrunning the ability of the 

operator to service his own equipment 

when a single nut, or screw, or solder 

joint that comes loose can close down a 

key piece of equipment 

” 

— F&H June ’76 

1979 LATE ’70s 

Though strides have been made, 

gender parity and equal representation 

are still issues being wrestled 

with in the industry. 

Desire for a more-unified, country-wide approach to liquor laws has been chronicled in F&H since its 

inception as CRA Magazine. Though the laws impacting licensees have continued to evolve in the last 

50 years, each province still has its own distinct set of regulations. 

1983 

New sources of competition 

entering the foodservice 

sphere continue to put 

pressure on traditional 

foodservice operations. 

Today it’s “grocerants,” 

but in 1983, convenience 

stores represented a 

growing source of 

competition for QSRs. 

1980s 

“ 

You’d be foolish to 

ignore us if you’re a 

fast-food restaurateur. 

There’s only so much 

quick snack business 

and we’re scrambling 

to get a bigger share 

of the action 

— PHILIP COX ” 

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GO LOCAL 

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TEAM EFFORT 

Supplier/chef partnerships are key 

to planning local, seasonal menus 

BY AMY BOSTOCK 

Corporate executive chef Ted 

Corrado of The Drake Hotel in 

Toronto is a long-time advocate 

for local ingredient sourcing and 

has built the menus at the Drake 

around seasonality and his belief in supporting 

local farmers. “Local food and seasonality 

go hand and hand and have become the foundation 

of how I built the menus at the Drake,” 

he says. “I look at what’s around me and what 

my suppliers have on hand — it’s very easy to 

build my menus that way.” 

Corrado’s first phone call of the day comes 

from his suppliers touching base about what 

they have available. “I’ve been fortunate to 

forge these relationships over the years and 

[my suppliers] know how excited I get about 

having the first crack at things and being as 

hyper-seasonal as possible.” 

The challenge, Corrado says, is that some 

purveyors are so small, they don’t have access 

to cities such as Toronto. “They make the stuff 

and sell it there…we aren’t talking industrial 

farming — it’s small farmers who maybe have 

a100 acres to grow on and they aren’t driving 

things into the city two or three times a week. 

I’ve turned that around and I go to them and 

bring ingredients back myself. It gives me 

access to something unique and special.” 

But not all chefs are that lucky. According 

to Genrys Goodchild, Marketing and 

Communications manager at 100km Foods 

Inc., there has long been a massive barrier 

to chefs ordering local food. In response, 

100km Foods Inc. was formed 10 years ago. 

“Even though agriculture is a gigantic part of 

Ontario’s GDP, chefs were having a hard time 

accessing that and there was a real need to 

connect farms with chefs. So we collaborated 

with farms and chefs to determine how best 

to serve both their needs.” 

In its first year, the company did a few 

hundred thousand in sales. In 2017, it logged 

approximately $6 million in sales, worked 

with more than 85 farms and had more than 

250 active restaurant accounts. 

“There is a gap to be filled by suppliers 

who act as bridge between farmers and 

restaurants and 100km Food is helping fill 

that gap,” says Corrado. “But there is still 

more room.” 

Goodchild agrees. “There’s still a lot of 

room to do more regional programs and 

inter-regional trading. There’s a move to 

strengthen regional imports and exports so 

that we can maximize the percentage of local 

food we’re consuming and distributing 

in Ontario.” FH 

WHAT’S IN SEASON? 

March is an interesting time for chefs, 

says corporate executive chef Ted Corrado of The 

Drake Hotel. “We’re starting the thaw in Ontario, 

so we’ll be transitioning out of root vegetables, 

cabbage and onions and moving into that amazing 

time of year where ramps are starting to come in 

and asparagus is available.” 

But, he says, spring is also tricky because 

fiddleheads, for example, are short-lived so chefs 

have to be creative about getting it on the menu. 

“It’s something that’s always tough,” he says. 

“You want to put something on your menu that’s 

so short-lived so you’re constantly reprinting 

menus and there are costs that go into that. When 

you’re four or five properties deep, to change one 

ingredient on a menu is the most cost-effective.” 

The approach he’s taking this year is to focus 

on “things I know are long-living, such as rhubarb, 

I can carry [them] through for a few months. 

Something like fiddleheads or ramps, we’ll do 

cross-property seasonal-feature menus so we 

don’t miss out. We’ll have ramp week and fiddlehead 

week and whatever mushrooms start 

popping out in early spring.” 

He says if chefs want to support local, 

they need to be forward thinking. For example, 

chefs can meet with farmers ahead of time to 

plan crops. 

At 100km Foods, the team updates local offerings 

week-to-week and also offers a tool on its 

website for chefs to look up by farm or by time of 

year what will be available so they can potentially 

plan a full-year’s menu based on what’s ready. 

“For restaurants that have the capacity to do 

this, we’re shifting towards working with farms to 

grow things specifically for them. It guarantees 

they will use it on their menus and also guarantees 

the farm can sell everything they’re going 

to seed,” says Genrys Goodchild, Marketing and 

Communications manager. 

Right now, she says chefs are excited about 

wild leeks. “That’s the real marker of the season 

actually starting to take off. Green garlic gets a 

lot of traction and, in May, we’ll start to see some 

asparagus, depending the weather.” 



FOOD FILE 

BY JANINE KENNEDY 

It’s official: nose-to-tail cooking is passé. 

You might be wondering where things 

could possibly go from there — how 

does one top such charcuterie and 

“nasty-bits”-driven, meat-heavy, overthe-top 

cuisine? 

The current rhetoric seems to be, 

you don’t. There’s been a steady decline 

in Canadians’ meat consumption over 

the past several years, opening the door 

for vegetarian ethnic cuisines, vegan 

restaurants, raw-food cafés and an increase 

in healthier options on some of the country’s 

most beloved quick-service and fast-casual 

restaurant menus. 

For example, Swiss Chalet’s “Healthier- 

Alternatives” menu — featuring vegetablebased 

sides with a skin-free quarter-chicken 

meal ($12.79) and larger main-course salads, 

such as Spinach Chicken Salad with fat-free 

raspberry vinaigrette ($13.99) — allows diners 

to mix and match sides and exclude unhealthy 

components of existing menu options. In 

addition, many menus across the restaurant 

spectrum now provide caloric information for 

all listed meals. 

Why the shift in consumers’ eating habits? 

The environment is an important factor as scientists 

tell us the way we eat has to change if 

we want to reverse the effects of global warm- 


BEET THIS A selection of 

beets feature prominently 

on the menu at The Acorn 

restaurant in Vancouver 

SEAN DAVID [ACORN RESTAURANT BEETS] 

ing. Many Canadians are concerned about 

the sustainability of meat-based food products 

and increased awareness of over-fishing, 

animal welfare and the use of genetically 

modified ingredients have made many wary 

of ready-made, frozen or mass-produced 

food products. 

Personal health is also a growing concern 

— we now know a poor diet can lead to an 

increased risk for certain cancers, diabetes 

and heart disease. Sugar and sodium levels 

have been dangerously high in Canadian diets 

over the past several decades and, now, consumers 

are taking a closer look at what goes 

into their food. 

Over the past 10 years, it has become 

commonplace for chefs and restaurateurs to 

include vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten-free 

options on their menus. Now, with the opening 

of many all-day cafés and restaurants specializing 

solely in healthful cuisine, the trends 

are going a step further. Artisanal sourdough 

breads, smoothie bowls, single-origin coffee 

and fermented vegetables are quickly taking 

over from the meat-heavy-menus of yesteryear 

— and consumers not only feel good 

about the food choices they’re making, they’re 

enjoying the flavour profiles of the food itself. 

In St. John’s, The Sprout Café has been a 

staple in the vegetarian community for 13 

years. In 2015, changes made by new owners 

Elizabeth Mysyk and her chef-partner Greg 

Dunne (The Sprout is now known as Poyo 

and The Sprout Takeout), the café’s menu is 

now more accessible to vegans, vegetarians 

and omnivores alike. “Before, [The Sprout] 

was a sit-down-only restaurant, the price 

point was higher and there was no take-out 

option,” Mysyk explains. “We were running a 

late-night take-out vegetarian taco business 

(Poyo) and were doing really well — our food 

is made quickly and it’s tasty and filling, so 

we would get a lot of late-night bar crowds 

for tacos after the pubs closed. When we took 

over The Sprout, we couldn’t convince our

FOOD FILE 

“Even the things 

that aren’t meant 

to be vegan can be 

made vegan” 

Did 

you 

know? 

Did you know 

New York Fries’ 

Classic Poutine 

is actually 

vegetarian? 

Both the gravy 

and cheese curds 

are completely 

vegetarian — 

no meat or 

animal bi-products. 

Vancouverbased 

Grains 

specializes 

in GMO-free, 

fully traceable 

legumes 

Poyo customers to come in. They wanted food 

faster and they wanted to be able to tailor it to 

suit their needs.” 

The duo changed some of The Sprout’s 

existing menu items, such as the popular Pad 

Thai ($13.48), and tried to make the menu 

more vegan-friendly “so even the things that 

aren’t meant to be vegan can be made vegan.” 

Originally, The Sprout was considered a 

higher-end option in St. John’s and many 

diners frequented it because they had food 

allergies and considered it a safe place to eat. 

Mysyk and Dunne have transformed the space 

into something that caters to everyone — 

whether celiac, vegan or omnivorous. “Not 

many of our customers are actually vegetarian 

— a lot of them were willing to try our food 

because…what else were they going to do at 2 

a.m.? There were very few other options when 

we first started,” says Mysyk. 

Pushing the limits 

This is a recurring theme among plant-based 

establishments in Canada. The Acorn restaurant 

in Vancouver has been catering to a 

diverse crowd of diners — vegetarians, vegans 

and meat-lovers — since it opened in 2012. 

For owner Shira Blustein, The Acorn was born 

from the lack of quality vegetarian restaurants 

in the area. Once opened, the food and overall 

experience quickly caught the eyes of critics 

and, as a result, The Acorn was listed among 

EnRoute Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 

2013 — the first time a vegetarian restaurant 

has been featured on the list. 

“It was never about ‘being vegetarian,’ it 

was about creating a restaurant that didn’t 

present as vegetarian. That was the goal. We 

just wanted beautiful food that happened to 

be plant-based — our target market is everybody,” 

says Blustein, whose hyper-seasonal 

menu attracts a very diverse crowed. “Since 

our chef (Brian Luptak) and sous chef (Devon 

Latte) have come on board, the way they’ve 

embraced seasonality and developed wellcrafted 

ingredients while still running with 

our original concept has been next level — 

they push the limits each and every day.” 

The most popular dish is the beer-battered 

Halloumi with potato-zucchini latkes, mushy 

peas and mint yogurt ($21). “Our food is tasty 

first and healthy second because of our ingredients,” 

she explains. “We always have vegan 

and gluten-free options. Our menu changes 

constantly because we’re always getting great 

new seasonal ingredients to work with.” 

Following the success of The Acorn, 

Blustein opened a casual eatery in 2017 called 

The Arbor. The food is plant-based, but with 

take-out options (such as the southern-fried 

artichoke sandwich, $13) as well as tables for 

sit-down meals. “We’re making the grab-andgo 

equivalent to The Acorn, which has become 

more of a special-occasion spot. Every pickle, 

every piece of bread — everything is familiar, 

recognizable food made from scratch by us.” 

In response to operator demand for 

healthy, ready-to-eat foods, Del Monte Fresh 

Produce has recently introduced a new range 

of spiralized vegetables (called Del Monte 

Vegetable Noodles) as an alternative to highcarbohydrate 

foods. Dionysios Christou, vicepresident 

of Marketing at Del Monte Fresh 

Produce, believes as busy Canadian consumers 

adapt to a healthier lifestyle, sales in fresh 

produce and healthy, grab-and-go snacks 

will surge. 

Meanwhile, ambient food businesses can 

take advantage of consumers’ growing concerns 

over genetically modified ingredients in 

their foods. Grain is a Vancouver-based company 

specializing in GMO-free, fully traceable > 

Vegetarian 

taco from The 

Sprout Café in 

St. John’s 


For 125 years, Del Monte has stood as 

the freshest name in produce. After all, 

we’re fruit fanatics, which means we’re 

also quality fanatics. Innovation fanatics. 

Healthy-lifestyle fanatics. Food-safety 

fanatics. Sustainability fanatics. And, 

while we obsess over all the fruits we 

grow, we’re bananas about bananas. 

FRESHDELMONTE.COM 

1-800-950-3683 

FRUITS.COM 

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FOOD FILE 

EDIBLE ART The Acorn in Vancouver serves 

up edible works of art for vegetarians and 

omnivores alike 

legumes, wheat and grain products (including 

a line of freshly milled flours) and other pantry 

staples (starting from $8.95). 

A committed vegetarian and food lover, 

co-owner Shira McDermott started Grain with 

partner Janna Bishop in 2016. In addition 

to its commitment to flavour and freshness 

in its product line, Grain directly supports 

Canadian farmers. “The farms we work with 

are predominantly well-established, multigeneration 

family businesses. Canada is one 

of the world’s largest producers of chickpeas 

and lentils and one of the world’s largest 

exporters of wheat — meaning the best 

wheat generally gets exported elsewhere. 

Starting Grain, we felt Canadians deserved 

access to the best as opposed to Grade C or D 

dry-goods products.” 

McDermott maintains the business could 

not have started at a better time. With 

healthfulness and sustainability at the forefront 

of many consumers’ minds, restaurants 

are making more menu items from scratch. 

Many now incorporate a sourdough program 

in their kitchens and even more are creating 

organic grain-based dishes for their menus. 

“Part of why the timing was right in starting 

Grain is the resurgence in people wanting to 

know where their food is coming from. They 

care about things like locality and traceability. 

We’re able to put a farmer’s face and farm 

location to each product we sell. Because 

we support Canadian farmers, people like to 

support us.” > 

SEAN DAVID [ACORN RESTAURANT IMAGES] 

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FOOD FILE 

Del Monte’s 

new range 

of spiralized 

vegetables 

(left); tortilla 

soup from 

Freshii (top) 

“Freshii serves 

fresh food designed 

to energize people 

on the go” 

A fresh 

approach 

Toronto-based QSR 

chain Freshii took a 

chance when it wasn’t 

clear where the healthfood 

trend was going. 

There weren’t many 

vegan-friendly restaurants 

when Freshii 

first opened its doors 

in 2005 with menu 

items such as the veggie-laden Tortilla Soup. 

Melissa Gallagher, VP of Marketing at 

Freshii says consumers want healthy, on-thego 

options as well as a choice in what they’re 

eating. “Freshii serves fresh food designed to 

energize people on the go.” 

Loch & Quay in downtown Toronto — a 

healthy, comfort food haven that opened in 

November 2017 — is the latest endeavour of 

chef Devan Rajkumar. “With Loch & Quay 

I offer world-inspired, fresh and delicious 

flavours for busy professionals trying to stay 

healthy and active. I don’t want to sacrifice flavour 

or even portion size with my own meals 

— and I know there are so many like me in 

downtown Toronto. We are health-conscious, 

but still want great menu options as well as 

unique dining experiences.” 

With popular menu options such as 

the Poke Bowl ($17) and the Jerk Chicken 

Sandwich ($17), Loch & Quay has made a 

splash on the Toronto restaurant scene. 

As restaurants continue creating diverse 

menu options to suit today’s health-focused 

Canadian diet, there are many mindful directions 

to take that can suit most existing business 

models — even those based on indulgent 

foods — allowing operators to maintain 

healthy product choices while incorporating 

large portion sizes and, most importantly, 

plenty of great flavour. FH 

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THE PANTRY 

With healthy eating trends taking over 

foodservice in 2018, what better way to 

make your newer, better-for-you menu 

items taste amazing than with these 

four spices? BY JANINE KENNEDY 

UNINTERRUPTED 

WORKWEAR SUPPLY 

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Berbere 

This pungent blend, consisting of ground 

chili, garlic, nigella, fenugreek and adjwain 

— among other spices native to East Africa 

— is usually infused into Ethiopian and 

Eritrean cuisine. East-African flavours are 

set to increase in popularity this year and a 

burst of Berbere spice will brighten up any 

stew, vegetable, chicken or legume dish. 

Furikake 

Will Japanese food ever go out of 

style? This unique blend of sesame, 

dried seaweed, dried shrimp and a 

good balance of salt and sugar will 

add the perfect hit of umami to your 

morning eggs or ahi poke bowl. 

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smoothly and efficiently. 

Za’atar 

Middle-Eastern flavours are all the rage and 

za’atar is one of those multi-purpose spice 

blends (with toasted sesame seeds, sumac and a 

host of other herbs and spices) you could add 

to nearly anything as a flavour boost. Try tossing 

it with butternut squash and sweet potato 

before oven-roasting. 

View a selection of products in our product 

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Turmeric 

Known for its bright 

yellow hue, turmeric 

is consistently praised 

as an anti-inflammatory, 

immunity-boosting super 

food and consumers can’t get 

enough. Try concocting your 

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brighten up a seafood stew or 

add a liberal amount to your 

curry special. 

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

MARGARET MOORE [GRAPHIC IMAGE] 

Many people dream of 

opening a restaurant, but few 

understand the challenges 

involved with running a successful 

operation. This series 

of articles examines four 

industry roadblocks that keep 

operators up at night and 

offers insight into how to 

transform challenges into 

opportunites for growth. 



Tapping into Talent 

Creating an attractive workplace culture 

is becoming increasingly important STORY BY TOM VENETIS 

pproximately 1.2 million 

people in Canada 

are employed in the 

restaurant industry, 

according to 

Statistics Canada’s 

Labour Force 

Survey, accounting 

for seven 

per cent of 

the country’s 

workforce. It’s 

an industry 

beset with 

challenges 

such as 

labour shortages, increases to minimum wage 

and other labour-related roadblocks. 

PAYING UP 

Ontario’s recent decision to raise the minimum 

wage has caused great consternation in 

the restaurant industry across the province. 

Margins are tight when running a restaurant 

and the increase in the minimum wage puts 

pressure on the bottom line. Paul S. Hewitt, 

a Toronto-based CAP, has written extensively 

about the impact of the increase in Ontario’s 

minimum wage. In a blog post, How Much 

Will Minimum-Wage Hikes Affect Your Prices? 

Hewitt says “not only will those currently 

receiving minimum wage see an increase in 

their hourly rates, those earning more than 

the minimum are likely to get raises, too. 

Dishwashers, bussers, runners and host/hostesses 

will all begin earning as much — or 

more — than cooks and will be closer to 

earning as much as chefs. Cooks and chefs 

will demand increases to maintain their relative 

positions in the pecking order [so it’s] 

safe to say all wages will rise. The most likely 

overall bump is 20 per cent.” 

He says operators also need to consider 

payroll benefits such as CPP, EI, WSIB, vacation 

pay, and EHT. “In Ontario, these amount 

to between 12.8 per cent and 14.8 per cent, 

depending on whether EHT applies to your 

restaurant. As a result, the total increase in 

labour costs will be around 22.8 per cent.” 

David Hopkins, president of The Fifteen 

Group — a Toronto-based restaurant consultancy 

firm — agrees any changes in wages will 

have a direct impact on a restaurant’s bottom 

line. His group predicts when the minimum 

wage in Ontario goes up to $15 an hour, “it 


CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 

iSTOCK.COM/CHRISTIANCHAN 

will reduce the average restaurant profit from 

a positive four per cent to a negative six 

per cent.” 

Hopkins says while some restaurants will 

likely shutter as a result, the majority will find 

ways to accommodate the increase in salaries. 

In fact, many have already been increasing 

wages in order to attract talent because, says 

Hopkins, finding good staff in foodservices is 

hard — and keeping them is even harder. 

“All our clients are having a hard time finding 

quality people to hire and this promotes 

increases in wages,” Hopkins adds. “If there 

is a shortage of good people, you need to pay 

[well] to get them to work for you.” 

HUMAN CAPITAL 

Joe Baker, dean of the School of Hospitality, 

Tourism and Culinary Arts at Toronto’s 

Centennial College, says while wages are 

important, the pay scale is only one factor in 

hiring and keeping good people. He says what 

is just as important is the workplace culture a 

restaurant creates and the investment operators 

are willing to make in their employees. 

“What it comes down to is restaurant owners 

being focused on investing in human capital,” 

Baker says. “Where there 

is not enough labour supply to 

serve the demand, the employer 

needs to get more creative in how 

they engage with people, how 

they recruit them and, 

just as important, how it 

retains them.” 

Rudi Fischbacher, associate 

dean with the School of 

Hospitality, Recreation and 

Tourism at Humber College, 

says retention of highly skilled 

employees in the foodservice 

industry is an ongoing problem. 

“Many graduates, after two to 

three years, are leaving the [foodservice] 

industry and they are 

leaving because of unfavourable 

work conditions; unfavourable 

pay conditions and people want 

to have a life outside of the industry 

as well.” 

While the restaurant industry 

holds a certain appeal for many, the 

long hours, tough working conditions and 

the often low pay also cause many to leave. 

Fischbacher says high turnover rates and the 

costs to restaurants of always having to hire 

and train new people may have put a greater 

focus on creating a workplace culture that values 

employees in order to attract people and 

have them stay. 

“If you invest in training, show people the 

opportunities they have in working for you 

and work with them to help them achieve 

a healthy work-life balance while providing 

them with a decent wage, you will create a 

culture in your business that will be a benefit 

to the employees and to that businesses’ longterm 

success,” Fischbacher adds. 

Ryan Visser, Retail director with the School 

“What it comes 

down to is 

restaurant 

owners being 

focused on 

investing in 

human capital. 

Where there 

is not enough 

labour 

supply to 

serve the 

demand, 

the employer 

needs to get 

more creative” 

— JOE BAKER 

of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism at 

Humber College, agrees a healthy workplace 

culture can be more important than salary. He 

says many of the more progressive restaurants 

are starting to take a page from what other 

industries are doing to attract and retain 

employees. For example, he says restaurants 

are starting to look at investing in ongoing 

training for staff, more flexible work hours, 

encouraging feedback from employees to 

improve the operations of the 

restaurant and adding fully 

equipped and furnished staffrooms 

for employees. 

“We underestimate how many 

people today don’t just want to 

have a job, but a job where they’re 

set up to succeed, a job where 

they can grow, learn and develop,” 

adds Hopkins. “A lot of restaurants 

are not run as polished 

businesses. They are run very 

much by the seat of one’s pants, 

which is very frustrating for 

employees as they are not given 

the tools to succeed and don’t 

know how to grow and do better.” 

Thomas McNaughtan, vicepresident 

with South St. Burger, 

agrees workplace culture is key 

to attracting and keeping people 

— especially in the QSR market 

where salaries are tight. He says 

his company puts a great deal of effort into 

creating an attractive workplace environment. 

This means encouraging management 

to know the people working in the individual 

franchise locations and giving mangers the 

ability to create flexible working environments, 

for example. 

“Even in my position as vice-president, 

I probably know about 60 of our front-line 

staff, their lives, how they’re doing in school 

and their long-term plans,” he adds. “Hiring 

in the food industry is difficult, as it’s not 

seen as the most prestigious line of work to 

enter...so we really want to let our 

workers know that we care for them and 

they’re not just a number to us and we work 

hard to bring a staff together and build a 

great team.” FH 




Cost Conscious 

Rising food costs have operators 

re-examining menu choices STORY BY CHRIS POWELL 

or Bill Pratt, 

ground 

chuck giveth and ground chuck 

taketh away. “We live and die by 

food costs,” says the CEO of the 

Dartmouth, N.S.-based Chef 

Inspired Group of Restaurants, 

which operates the regional QSR 

chains Cheese 

Curds and 

Habaneros, as 

well as the popular Gecko Bus 

food truck and the Truck-Side 

food truck food court. 

In an industry where the average 

restaurant operator makes 

just 43 cents for every $10 spent 

by customers — according to the 

most recent data from Restaurants Canada 

— rising food costs are a constant worry for 

Pratt and his fellow operators. 

Restaurants Canada’s recent Restaurant 

Outlook Survey found food costs are a “significant” 

pain point for seven in 10 restaurant 

owners, while also noting operators are running 

out of options on where to cut costs. 

There is no immediate relief in sight. 

According to the eighth edition of Canada’s 

Food Price Report, prices are expected to 

increase between one and three per cent this 

year — led by a four to six-per-cent increase 

for vegetables, one to three per cent for fruit 

and as much as two per cent for meat and 

seafood. The report also notes the average 

Canadian family will spend $208 more when 

eating out at restaurants this year. 

Regina restaurateur Roberto Florez says 

he, too, has seen food prices creep steadily 

upward since opening a food truck and 

pop-up restaurants early last year. Increases 

have affected key ingredients, including dry 

peppers (which have increased in price from 

$3.50 to $5 per 100g), tomatillos (from $5 

per kilogram to $7) and tortillas (from $3.50 

to $5). 

Florez, whose family has been in the 

restaurant business in Mexico for several 

decades, says an insistence on using imported 

Mexican products — which cost more to 

ship and import — is contributing to the 

“I have to 

be very tight 

and savvy 

in order 

to keep 

my head 

above water” 

— BILL PRATT 

increased costs for El Tropezon. 

“We started the business to show 

people [authentic] Mexican food, 

not just burritos and tacos and 

whatever you can find here,” says 

Florez. “We’ve been trying to 

keep our prices [the same] and 

keep a positive attitude during 

this economic episode.” 

For Pratt, one of the biggest 

problems is coping with seasonal 

variances in food costs. He was paying $55 for 

a box of tomatoes in January and expected 

prices to go as high as $70 before dropping 

back down to $15 or $20 during the spring 

and summer. 

It’s not an option to raise prices to compensate 

for increased food expenditures in 

the colder months, so Pratt is often forced to 

absorb those temporarily increased costs. “I’ve 

got to suck it up,” he says. “I can’t raise the 

price and I can’t take tomatoes off my tacos or 

my hamburgers.” 

Unlike operators in casual or high-end dining, 

Pratt has to be mindful of downloading 

increased food costs to his customers. They’re 

not only sensitive to even the slightest fluctuations 

in price, but in a crowded category such 

as burgers, they can easily vote with their feet. 

“If a burger patty was $1 when I first started 

and now it’s $2, I can’t raise the price of 

the burger that much,” says Pratt. “I’m competing 

against the Wendy’s, the McDonald’s 

and Burger Kings of the world, so it’s a different 

model for me. I have to be very tight and 

savvy in order to keep my head above water.” 

Being a multi-unit operator does give Pratt 

a certain amount of leverage 

when it comes to negotiating 

prices with suppliers, although 

that pales in comparison with the 

buying power of the country’s 

QSR giants. 

For Pratt, one of the keys to 

successfully managing spiralling 

costs is upselling. Combos, he 

says, are the lifeblood of his company. 

“When people come in and 

order just a burger, I cringe,” he says. “But if 

they order a burger, fries and a fountain pop, 

I’m pretty happy. The upsell is a key part of 

the business.” 

It’s located just across the Angus L. 

Macdonald Bridge in Halifax, but Cut 

Steakhouse is a world away from Cheese 

Curds. A 4-Diamond AAA/CAA Award winner, 

Cut — one of several restaurants operated 

by RCR Hospitality Group — is the 

embodiment of old-school opulence. 

Its tables are bedecked with bone china, 

Riedel stemware and luxury linens from the 


iSTOCK.COM/STOCKROCKET 

Italian textile company Frette, while its menu 

includes the likes of a $55 Atlantic lobster and 

a $220 boneless rib-eye from Queensland, 

Australia’s Darling Downs Wagyu. 

Yet RCR president, Shannon Bruhm, shares 

a business problem with Pratt, as prices 

continue to rise for key menu items such as 

USDA prime beef and premium seafood, such 

as scallops and lobster. 

“It wasn’t that many years ago we were 

buying lobster for $6.99 or $7.99 a pound; 

now it’s almost double that,” says Bruhm. 

“Those are items we’re not seeing on menus 

in quite the amount we might have three or 

four years ago.” 

Food can represent as much as 40 per 

cent of total costs for high-end restaurants 

such as Cut, but while the easiest solution 

for restaurateurs would be to simply offload 

any increased costs on customers, Bruhm’s 

patrons are similarly sensitive to being asked 

to pay more. 

“People notice when your prices are 

increasing,” he says. “It’s not [a case of] the 

next time they come in and have the same 

steak and you’ve marked it up another 10 per 

cent that they’re fine with that.” 

Bruhm says operators can mitigate rising 

food costs by engaging in menu engineering 

and introducing lower-priced alternatives, 

such as replacing cuts such as rib-eye or striploin 

in popular items such as steak frites, or 

swapping out more expensive fish such as 

halibut and salmon. 

Bruhm says RCR’s six restaurants — which 

in addition to Cut Steakhouse include the East 

of Grafton Tavern (as well as a catering business) 

— are more likely to look for a cheaper 

cut of beef or a different type of fish rather 

than pass food increases on to customers. 

“If the price of halibut is increasing 10 to 

15 per cent, maybe we just remove it from 

the menu and look for other options,” says 

Bruhm. “Most restaurateurs recognize that 

customers want to see affordable options on 

the menu.” 

But, for restaurants such as Cut, which tend 

to attract well-heeled and discerning customers, 

simply swapping out high-cost items isn’t 

always a viable solution. “If people are used 

to a certain type of USDA rib-eye in a steak 

house and you’re trying to serve flank steak, 

that might not go over as well as it might at a 

tavern or bistro,” says Bruhm. 

One potential solution to rising food 

costs for independents is group-buying 

services such as Edmonton-based Groupex 

Canada, which secures volume-based purchasing 

discounts on a variety of restaurantrelated 

services. 

Director of Operations Kim Teichroeb 

characterizes the company’s growth as “slow 

but steady” as operators continue to seek out 

ways to reduce costs. Teichroeb says Groupex 

is able to secure discounts ranging from five 

to 20 per cent from a variety of suppliers. 

Increased consumer interest in plant-based 

diets might also provide relief for some operators. 

A November 2015 report from Chicagobased 

research firm Mintel found vegetarian 

menus in the U.S. grew 66 per cent in three 

years, which Bruhm says is attributable not 

just to the growing popularity of vegetarianism 

and veganism, but the rising cost of proteins 

such as meat and fish. 

“It’s less price prohibitive [as a restaurateur] 

when you have some items on your 

menu that are not protein-based,” he says. FH 



Opening the Digital Do 

The Digital Door has opened wide and foodservice 

operators would do well to enter it STORY BY ANDREW COPPOLINO 


echnology 

is becoming 

an 

entrenched disruptor 

for all industries, 

including food and 

beverage, with numbers 

both impressive 

and growing. 

In Canada, smartphone 

ownership is 

approaching 60 per 

cent, while nearly 90 

per cent of Canadian 

households are connected 

to the Internet. 

Add to that the fact 

nearly two-thirds of 

all digital-media usage 

comes from mobile apps, according to 

comScore.com and you have a seismic shift 

in the way consumers shop — and eat. The 

so-called “Digital Door” has opened wide and 

foodservice operators would do well to enter. 

DEFINING THE DIGITAL DOOR 

The term “Digital Door” — coined by 

Toronto-based NPD Group — refers to any 

digital access to a restaurant or foodservice 

operation of any kind that is an actual order 

activity. “That could be an app on your 

phone, ordering through a website, access 

through a kiosk at a QSR restaurant. It’s any 

digital device used for ordering food,” says 

Robert Carter, NPD Group’s executive director, 

Foodservice, in Canada 

The Digital Door isn’t only welcoming to 

millennials, Carter points out; it’s right across 

the demographics. While not all operators are 

currently engaged with the technology — and 

some are wary, calculating that it doesn’t work 

with their style of menu or market demographic 

— they admit to being intrigued by 

the possibilities, even though they staunchly 

maintain the actual restaurant experience is 

the critical one. 

The challenges posed by any sort of technology 

platform — such as mobile-ordering 

apps, Twitter, Instagram or third-party delivery 

— range from lack of understanding, 

to lack of time and infrastructure, to staff 

resources for engagement. That, however, represents 

a risk, according to Carter. “It’s going 

to put them at a competitive disadvantage.” 

You can’t ignore the numbers. OpenTable, 

the California-based restaurant-reservation 

system, is huge. Since it was introduced 20 

years ago, the system has seated more than a 

billion customers across the globe. In just the 

third quarter of 2017, 52 per cent of the seated 

diners in Canada originated on a mobile 

device, according to company figures. While 

he has declined to use third-party delivery 

companies, Brian Plouffe, owner of Waterloo’s 

independent upscale-casual restaurant King 

Street Trio, lauds OpenTable’s utility and how 

it’s boosted business. 

“I have a love affair with OpenTable,” says 

Plouffe. “From 24-hour reservations with 

confirmations, to organizing busy days such 

as Valentine’s Day, to the credibility of reviews 

and them being very active in promoting their 

services.” 

GO WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE 

Handled properly, Carter says a digital-door 

strategy can boost sales, with customers 

ordering more food — resulting in check 

averages more than 50 per cent higher than 

the traditional in-house experience. So, 

rather than look at the issue as a problematic 

one for operators, Carter suggests embracing 

the opportunities. Remember, he says, the 

door opens onto $1.6 billion in spending at 

restaurants and is growing by more than 15 

per cent annually. 

The door allows passage in both directions, 

feeding the need for convenience for 

consumers — especially the lucrative millennial 

market. “It allows operators to go where 

the customers are and provide an access 

mode customers want to use,” says Carter. 

“That makes it an effective way for operators 

to connect.” 

Massive aggregators such as Just Eat, 

Foodora, Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes are 

some of the important digital drivers: they create 

the digital infrastructure and restaurants 

pay a fee to join. “It’s up to food operations to 

decide if they want to pay Just Eat to get access 

to a digital-ordering and delivery strategy,” 

Carter says. In the QSR realm, many franchise 

concepts have allowed individual franchisees 

to partner with the services, he says. “My suggestion 

would be to focus on a system-wide 

strategy, as franchise models are built on consistency 

and familiarity across a brand.” 

At the other end of the dining scale, finedining 

restaurants may not fit in, according 

to Phil Wylie, vice-president of People and 

Operations at Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality. 


or 

iSTOCK.COM/WAVEBREAKMEDIA 

“The overall trend of technology and social 

media is huge for us in terms of giving customers 

a glimpse of how their meals are prepared 

and what the food chain looks like. We 

have experimented with Uber Eats for some 

of our more casual concepts, but the financial 

model behind it didn’t really work,” he says. 

Pizza delivery is a long-standing model 

and Domino’s, which has been in the pizzadelivery 

business for decades and offers 

multiple access points for ordering and engaging 

customers, is continuing with its model. 

“We’re keeping an eye on it, but it’s tough to 

determine exactly what the impact is. We just 

haven’t been able to put our arms around 

it yet,” says Jeff Kacmarek, vice-president of 

Marketing and New Product Development. 

Kacmarek says cost is a factor — along 

with the belief that Domino’s has the best 

delivery service in the industry, even as it 

builds its sit-down and carry-out business. 

FOLLOWING THE RIGHT PATH 

For Plouffe, a sales boost is easily measureable 

on big days such as Valentine’s Day and New 

Year’s Eve. “We can secure a credit card and 

have no cancels or no-shows. For non-lunch 

venues like ours, guests are assured they have 

a reservation,” he says. Otherwise, Carter 

says the pause for thought should come from 

recognizing traditional traffic to restaurants is 

currently glacial — growing at only about two 

per cent year-over-year — and consolidation 

is taking place. “The chains are getting bigger 

in terms of the number of brands, and that’s 

putting pressure on independents. Without 

a partnership with one of the aggregators, 

they’re going to suffer,” he says. 

Where independent closures have slowed, he 

continues, it’s where there is delivery revenue. 

With 60 per cent of the population owning a 

mobile device, it only makes sense to open the 

Digital Door to a market growing by leaps and 

bounds, Carter says. Mobile devices have infiltrated 

the industry, becoming a key “path-topurchase 

for consumers,” he adds, citing online 

retail numbers from the Christmas period, 

which place it at a record high. 

“Technology is here to stay, but the foodservice 

industry seems to be one of the last 

areas moving to this type of platform,” he 

emphasizes. “And yet, consumers are 

expecting that you will have some sort of 

digital strategy.” FH 



A Bitter Draught 

Liquor policies continue to create headaches 

for licensees across the country STORY BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

iquor legislation can be a contentious 

subject within the foodservice 

industry — so much so that 

Restaurants Canada launched its 

Raise the Bar report card on provincial 

liquor policies for bars and restaurants 

in 2015 to start a dialogue 

on these challenges. 

The reality is licensees face a 

number of roadblocks associated 

with liquor policies in place across 

Canada. Excise tax, 

interprovincial-trade 

barriers and a lack of 

wholesale pricing are among the key pain 

points operators identify. 

“The most challenging part for us is from 

a purchasing perspective,” says Dan Kennedy, 

co-owner and operating partner at Torontobased 

Amano Pasta and Union Chicken. “Not 

only is there no discount for buying in bulk, 

but in a lot of cases, we actually pay a little bit 

more than the public does. The average person 

who isn’t in the restaurant industry would 

probably assume that we get [our liquor] for 

less because of how much we buy; for that 

reason, when they look at sell price in restaurants, 

they may think they are being gouged.” 

This issue is one that plagues licensees 

across the country, with the exception of 

those in Alberta, the only jurisdiction 

that offers true wholesale pricing for all 

licensees — although the P.E.I. Liquor 

Control Commission offers discounts to 

licensees and Nova Scotia offers a wholesale 

discount on wine and spirits. 

“I would always like to see more flexibility 

on licensee pricing, especially now with the 

cost of labour going up — it naturally follows 

that the selling price of all of our products is 

going to creep up throughout the industry,” 

Kennedy adds. 

iSTOCK.COM/WICHITS 


CHALLENGES AND OPPPORTUNITIES 

ISTOCK.COM/CERBI [MAP] 

The Comeau Case 

In December 2017, The Supreme Court of 

Canada began hearing a historic case with 

the potential to bring down interprovincialtrade 

barriers associated with restricted 

substances such as alcohol. 

New Brunswick resident Gerard Comeau 

contested a charge he received in 2012 

for “importing” more than the legal limit 

of alcohol from Quebec. In 2016, the New 

Brunswick Provincial Court concluded the 

prohibition on possessing alcohol purchased 

outside the province violates Canada’s 

Constitution Act, 1867, which states “All articles 

of the growth, produce, or manufacture 

of any one of the provinces shall, from and 

after the union, be admitted free into each 

of the other provinces.” 

Should the Supreme Court ruling agree 

with the New Brunswick court decision, it 

stands to significantly impact provincial 

liquor monopolies and speed the liberalization 

of interprovincial trade overall. 

“This case is of national interest and it is 

attracting a lot of attention because it could 

radically reform the Canadian economy,” 

says Michel Kelly-Gagnon, president and 

CEO of the Montreal Economic Institute 

(MEI). “If the Court rules in favour of the 

free, unrestricted movement of goods 

between the provinces, this will not only 

call into question the provincial alcohol 

monopolies, but many other trade barriers 

could also disappear.” 

The food-and-beverage industry, as 

well as the general public, has thrown its 

support behind liberalizing trade within 

Canada, with industry and consumer groups 

presenting in support of the New Brunswick 

court decision during the Supreme Court 

hearing in December. An Ipsos poll commissioned 

by the MEI, the Canadian Constitution 

Foundation and the Atlantic Institute for 

Market Studies also indicates that 89 per 

cent of Canadians think they should be 

allowed to bring any legally purchased 

product from one province to another. 

“I would always like to see more flexibility on licensee pricing, 

especially now with the cost of labour going up” — DAN KENNEDY 

“It’s a very restricted industry, especially 

[given that] we’re 90 years post-prohibition,” 

agrees David Farran, president of both the 

Alberta Craft Distillers Association and Eau 

Claire Distillery. “We’re still living through 

some of the legacies of that [era].” 

One such legacy is interprovincial-trade 

barriers — an issue that has recently received 

significant media attention due to a case 

currently in front of The Supreme Court 

of Canada. Colloquially known as The 

Comeau Case, or the “free-the-beer” case, it 

brings into question the constitutionality of 

interprovincial-trade barriers (specifically 

New Brunswick’s Liquor Control Act), as 

they are contravened under section 121 of the 

Constitution Act, 186 (see sidebar). 

“On a national level, [an] excise tax is 

something we should be looking at,” adds 

Farran. “The U.S. has just made some huge 

moves to reduce excise [tax], which makes us 

less competitive.” 

As of the March 2017 federal budget, tax 

currently represents 44 per cent of the price 

on a bottle of wine, 50 per cent on beer and 

76 per cent on spirits, while in the U.S., those 

figures are 21 per cent, 40 per cent and 54 per 

cent respectively. 

This particular issue isn’t expected to 

improve any time soon. In fact, the federal 

government has implemented an “elevatortax” 

model allowing excise tax to automatically 

increase by the rate of inflation every year, 

without a review or a vote in Parliament. 

The Comeau Case has provided a platform 

for the industry to express its desire for policy 

reform/legislative change. The Supreme Court 

decision on the case is expected in the coming 

months, however, with the issue of interprovincial-trade 

barriers currently in the national 

spotlight, an opportunity exists to keep the 

dialogue going in an effort to facilitate change 

— regardless of the outcome of this case. 

In the meantime, as part of last year’s 

Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) talks, 

the federal government set up a provincial 

working group to make recommendations on 

liberalizing alcohol trade in Canada, which 

is set to report its findings by July 2018. The 

2017 CFTA — which took effect on July 1, 

2017 and replaced the decades-old Agreement 

on Internal Trade — removed several roadblocks 

to interprovincial trade, but specifically 

excluded beer, wine and spirits. 

This strategy can also be applied to other 

licensee challenges. In recent years, there have 

been a number of adjustments to provincial 

regulations, particularly as they pertain to 

craft producers. For example, last March, 

Quebec granted craft distillers the ability 

to sell its products at its distilleries and 

announced a financial-assistance program for 

small-scale producers and distillers. 

In general, provincial governments have 

been implementing policies aimed at fostering 

healthy local brewing and distilling industries, 

which leads to a wider variety of products 

available in provincial/territorial markets. 

This environment provides licensees with an 

opportunity to highlight an ever-increasing 

variety of locally produced products in their 

beverage programs. 

“In Ontario, we might have it the best. The 

sheer size of the province and the number of 

great craft breweries and wineries [means] 

we don’t have to look too far from home [for 

product],” says Kennedy. “Things have been 

going in the right direction and we have a lot 

of choice right now, more so than ever before.” 

However, Kennedy acknowledges other 

provinces may not be so fortunate — in 

areas such as Atlantic Canada, the selection 

of products available is often seen as lacking. 

The general consensus is that steps are 

being taking to improve and modernize the 

laws/policies that impact restaurant and 

bar operators — with many provinces reducing 

red tape and/or exploring wholesale pricing 

models. The key is to keep the momentum 

going. FH 



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SMOOTH 

SAILING 

This year’s smoothie 

trends can be many 

things to many people 

BY ERIC ALISTER 

It can come in a cup, glass or 

bowl and as a meal replacement, 

caffeinated beverage, cocktail or 

a health-boosting concoction. 

The smoothie category is broad 

and subjective and, therefore, the 

potential for creativity — in both 

taste and presentation — is limitless. 

It doesn’t hurt that smoothie sales 

are projected to continue growing 

in 2018. 

Recent data from DataEssential’s 

MenuTrends database shows customers 

gravitate towards smoothies, 

primarily due to the healthy 

reputation the category enjoys. A 

smoothie is most often perceived as a 

healthier beverage or meal alternative 

but, most of all, people simply love 

smoothies for their refreshing and 

delicious qualities. 

The report shows smoothie and 

juice choices are perpetually increasing 

on restaurant menus. From 

2005 to 2017, smoothie and juice 

options in North-American restaurants 

grew by 13 per cent and 10.6 

per cent, respectively, with eight per 

cent of all menus in 2017 incorporating 

smoothies. Going into 2018, 

operators are more optimistic about 

smoothie growth, compared to juices. 

“I see a move away from juice and 

more towards smoothies and bowls,” 

says Ryan Carpenter, owner of U.S.- 

based smoothie restaurant chain 

Moberi. “Consumers are seeking out 

ingredients that serve a purpose and 

it’s much easier to accomplish this 

in blends than in cold-pressed juice. 

Acai bowls will continue to grow 

in popularity, but other smoothie 

bowls (like those mixed with greens 

or dragonfruit) with an emphasis on 

superfood toppings will also be more 

common. I’m also excited about new 

twists on old classics, like ice cream 

made out of superfoods.” 

FLAVOURFUL YEAR 

According to Nestlé Professional, the 

most popular smoothie ingredients 

in 2018 will be strawberry, banana, 

mango, pineapple, raspberry, orange, 

blueberry, coconut, peach, apple, 

vanilla, tropical, chocolate, piña colada, 

peanut butter, lemon, kale, passionfruit, 

pomegranate, acai, papaya, 

kiwi, blackberry and carrot. 

Smoothies come in many forms. A 

smoothie bowl, for example, allows 

the freedom to incorporate larger 

By the 

Numbers 

Smoothie 

category 

growth in 

North America 

in 2017 

FINE DINING 

6.2% 

QSR 

9.6% 

FAST-CASUAL 

13.1% 

whole ingredients — especially ones 

that offer health benefits, such as flax 

seeds, chia seeds, goji berries and bee 

pollen. These ingredients offer not 

only health benefits, but a wealth of 

decorative colours for infinite play 

with presentation. 

Meal-replacement smoothies are 

popular with active people with busy 

schedules who lack the time for sitdown 

meals. A meal-replacement 

smoothie can contain up to 1,500 

calories and is high in protein. In 

addition to caloric and protein 

requirements, a good meal-replacement 

smoothie will also include at 

least two fruits to meet vitamin and 

fibre needs. 

On the more adventurous side, 

cocktail smoothies and caffeinated 

smoothies have been slowly growing 

in popularity since 2016 and are on 

trend this year, according to Niles, 

Ill.-based beverage-development 

company, Imbibe. 

Looking ahead, global research 

firm, Technavio estimates the 

North American smoothie market 

will be growing at a compound 

annual growth rate of 8.59 per cent 

until 2021. FH 



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Operators look to technology innovation 

and tradition for their ovens of choice 

BY DENISE DEVEAU 

The new baking lab at George 

Brown College in Toronto (inset); 

the Baker’s Pride double-stack 

pizza oven at Vancouver’s Bufala 

(top); and the tandoor oven used at 

Vij’s and My Shanti (below) 

Ovens are a culinary mainstay, 

whether it’s for cooking pizzas, 

roasting meats, preparing 

casseroles or baking pastries. 

Yet the oven landscape is as 

varied as the products that go into them. 

There’s the high-tech wizardry of combiand 

rapid-cook ovens; large-batch baking 

ovens that cook bread and pastries to perfection; 

countertop toaster, multi-purpose 

and pizza-conveyor ovens; or specialty 

ovens for ethnic cuisine. 

An operator’s comparison shopping 

could include a checklist of important 

features: wood-fired, gas-fired, electric or 

charcoal; small or large footprint; vented 

or ventless; portable or fixed; programmable 

or non-programmable — the list 

goes on. 

The right oven 

for the right space 

Executive chef Alessandro Vianello of 

Gooseneck Hospitality in Vancouver, 

says oven choices for the various types 

of operations depend on various factors 

— from power supply to menu offerings. 

A mainstay in the Bufala pizza operations 

is a double-stack Baker’s Pride oven. 

“There are so many variables when picking 

a deck oven. [For example] when we 



EQUIPMENT 

From the Supply Side 

The new Vector Multi-Cook Oven F-Series full-size 

models from Alto-Shaam can accommodate fullsize 

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operators the ability to combine oven chambers. 

All this can be done while still controlling temperature, 

fan speed and time in multiple, independent 

chambers. The oven is available in three- or fourchamber 

electric models and offers operators 

the flexibility to simultaneously cook a variety of 

menu items with no flavour transfer. 

opened that outlet, there was no hood, it 

only allowed for electrical.” 

Vianello has worked with wood-burning 

ovens in the past and says he would 

love to work with them again, but notes 

the venting requirements would add to 

the costs exponentially. “It’s very different. 

Electric is very controlled and easier 

to work with for a variety of people. 

Woodburning takes a lot of management 

because temperatures can fluctuate.” 

For Wildebeest, Gooseneck’s upscale 

dining establishment, Vianello counts on 

two Alto-Shaam combi-ovens. “They’re 

nice to have because there isn’t a lot of 

space involved. I can use them for 

smoking, steaming, roasting and even 

baking bread.” 

For that particular operation, he also 

appreciates the temperature accuracy and 

speed he can achieve compared to a traditional 

deck or convection oven. “With 

the new functions, you can have different 

probes and can set a program and get the 

same product every time.” 

“Combi-ovens have become increasingly 

technical,” says Paul Douglas, president 

of GBS Foodservice Equipment Inc. 

“The magic is making the most out of an 

appliance that can be a true benefit to any 

kitchen. Often, however, a combi is under 

underutilized as kitchen turnover makes 

continuity of execution difficult.” 

Combi-ovens are often under-utilized in 

restaurant kitchens 

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A baker’s dozen, or two 

Large-batch cooking is something George 

Brown College’s culinary program has 

well in hand with its new large-quantity 

baking lab. At the heart of the operations 

are two large ovens: a rotating-shelf oven 

from Picard and a stone-deck model from 

Doyon. Both feature steam injection for 

baking breads, as well as custards and 

delicate cakes. Each can be programmed 

for specific products using variable temperatures 

and moisture levels throughout 

a baking cycle. 

As Christine Walker, interim director 

of Hospitality and Culinary Programs 

explains, “We needed two different styles 

because of the type of baking. Pastry 

chefs prefer to bake bread on a stone 

deck, but like rotating shelf ovens when 

they need more even temperatures.” 

The Doyon oven was chosen for its 

versatility and temperature control, she 

says. The Picard takes up to 30 trays at 

once, which is ideal when classes may 

have upwards of 20 students baking at a 

time. “[The capacity] allows for more 

repetition, which is important in developing 

core skills,” she says. 

A roundup of 

new oven trends 

For Gary Lummis, president of Lummis 

& Co. foodservice consultancy in 

Fredericton, N.B., there are plenty of 

technology innovations happening with 

ovens that are worth a second look: 

FLASH-BAKE OVENS FOR VERY FAST 

COOKING: “Garland developed a fourdeck 

one for McDonald’s a couple of 

years ago. Now they are available in one, 

two, three and five decks.” 

MULTI-DECK BAKE OVENS: “Bake ovens 

used to be big deck ovens. Operators are 

now going to European-style multi-deck 

ovens from vendors such as Garland and 

Doyon that can be stacked and individually 

controlled.” 

TOASTER OVENS/MINIATURE CONVEYOR 

OVENS: These are popular items with a 

number of QSR operations for toasting 

sandwiches or baking pizzas. “Once you 

go to a bigger conveyor, the sky’s the 

limit.” 

MINIATURE COMBINATION OVENS: While 

fairly new to the market, ovens that 

combine microwave and impingement 

dramatically speed cooking times for 

everything from sandwiches to macaroni 

and cheese. Lummis believes they show 

promise for healthcare and some institutional 

settings with smaller serveries. 

While adoption of newer innovations 

may be slow in some quarters, Lummis 

says, “The industry is starting to wake 

up to the fact that technology can do 

different things.” 

Microwaves that deliver the 

cooking power you need 

compact series 

light duty series 

medium to heavy duty series 

High-speed combination 

ovens for a perfect finished 

product every time 

Forza Express pizza oven 

Sheet ovens in the new George Brown 

baking lab in Toronto 


When designing the lab, she says the 

first priority was the footprint. “It’s a little 

smaller than other baking labs, so we had 

to be sure the ovens were suited to the 

space.” Given the parameters of the space 

and available power supply, it opted for 

electric ovens. 

One thing you won’t find in a baker’s 

lab is a convection oven, Walker says. 

“Most bakers avoid convection because 

it’s harsh on products. The air movement 

can collapse cakes and soufflés.” 

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EQUIPMENT 

Speed in small packages 

On the opposite end of the oven spectrum, 

countertop-size rapid-speed combination 

ovens are gaining ground in a 

number of QSR and institutional settings. 

The fastest types incorporate three 

technologies — microwave, induction 

and radiant heat — and are primarily 

used for individual items. A particular 

appeal for operators is that most have a 

catalytic converter, which makes them 

totally ventless. 

“People want speed, but also want to 

maintain quality, whether it’s toasting 

sandwiches or preparing lobster tails. 

Almost anything can be done with them,” 

says Helen Roberts, food applications 

consultant and corporate chef at Celco 

Inc. in Mississauga. “As long as you have 

power and a countertop, you pretty much 

have a plug-and-play situation.” 

Beyond the ventilation challenges for 

operators, real estate inside kitchens is 

becoming limited, she adds. “A smaller 

footprint allows them to push food out 

quickly without it being fast food. Most 

are programmable for different items, so 

anyone can use them and get consistent 

results.” 

Newer units are available in a stackable 

format, making them ideal for healthcare 

settings. They can even be built into cabinetry 

to create a home-like appearance in 

facilities such as nursing homes. 

Getting back to basics 

Sometimes it’s not about the technology 

bells and whistles at all, especially when 

it comes to specialized cooking such as 

Indian cuisine. Tandoor ovens, for example, 

are gaining popularity in a number of 

operations. 

Naresh Sachdev, owner of Maharaja 

Catering Ltd. in Surrey, B.C., has 20 

three-by-three-foot tandoor ovens. He 

uses fixed gas-fired units in his restaurant 

operations and portable charcoal-tandoor 

ovens for outside catering events. 

From the Supply Side 

The GBS CombiStarFX (by Angelo Po) offers operators 

the ability to re-train, reinforce or simply inspire the 

kitchen for “best practices” dealing with the combioven. 

Using real-time video capabilities, an operator 

can take a video using any smartphone, upload the 

video to a laptop or desktop, then download it onto 

a USB key and upload to the oven. A chef can show 

kitchen staff how food should be plated or prepared; 

a sous chef can advise line cooks of the special of the 

day; and a shift manager can advise staff of a special 

event. Video length is governed by the USB capacity 

and is displayed on the control screen while audio is 

played through the combi-oven’s audio system. 

STAY 

IN THE 

LOOP 

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Forza Express pizza oven 

and rapid-cook oven 

Sachdev imports his ovens 

from India — paying close attention 

to the quality of the 

workmanship. He opts 

for 16-gauge steel exterior 

and clay interior. 

Much of the success of a 

tandoor oven, he says, is 

the quality of the insulation. 

“If they are not 

insulated properly, they 

won’t heat properly.” 

Vikram Vij, chef/ 

owner of Vij’s and My Shanti, 

says the appeal of tandoor cooking 

is that it has its roots in 

Mother Nature. “Cooking for us, 

as Indians, has always been part 

of using nature. Food was always 

Tandoor ovens are a staple 

at Vikram Vij’s restaurants 


done in the earth.” 

The origins of tandoor cooking 

can be traced to the practice 

of digging holes in the ground 

and putting the coal inside with 

a small lid to control the temperature, 

Vij explains. “You can cure 

and marinate everything beautifully 

inside that earth oven.” 

Since coming to North 

America, Vij has worked extensively 

with Washington-based 

Wood Stone Ovens to design the 

perfect gas-fired tandoor ovens 

for baking bread in his operations. 

He describes them as “a 

beautiful drum-shape wrapped 

in stainless, with a small opening 

and only five settings. If the 

opening is too big, your heat will 

dissipate too quickly. If it’s too 

small, however, your bread will 

get burnt. Wood Stone mastered 

this extremely well. “ 

Each oven measures four-byfour 

feet and stands 33-inches 

high. With costs ranging between 

$5,000 to $6,000. “Newer models 

are a bit more efficient and 

require less cleanup. Because the 

heat is contained, they’re also 

more environmentally friendly.” 

Despite his love for tradition, 

Vij says he actually trained in 

classical French cooking and 

because of that, he also has a 

great deal of respect for new 

technology innovation. “When 

you look at things like Rational 

combi-ovens, they can cook 

everything from rice to 

naans to curries. Technology 

is brilliant.” FH 

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TECHNOLOGY 

AUTOMATION NATION 

Machines that can sort waste and flip burgers are coming 

to a kitchen near you — possibly even yours 

BY ANDREA VICTORY 

iSTOCK.COM/PETMAL 

Artificial intelligence — the ability 

for a computer to make decisions 

based on learned information 

— used to be relegated to sci-fi 

thrillers. But, thanks to innovative 

solutions in machine learning, robots and 

computers are taking on restaurants to make 

them smarter and more efficient. 

The opportunity for replacing workers with 

machines seems a plausible solution for the 

constant battle faced by restaurant owners: 

labour cost and turnover. But there’s more to 

it than simply ordering a burger-flipping arm 

that can be set up straight out of the box and 

immediately replace a couple of shift workers. 

The costs of equipment, programming and 

maintenance can add up to a hefty price tag. 

James Schuback, co-founder and CEO of 

Big Solve Robotics, a Canadian robotics company, 

set out to solve the issue of high-cost 

and high-maintenance mechanics by building 

Caesar — a robotic arm that’s affordable 

and user-friendly. Using burger flipping as an 

example, he explains, “Let’s look at the economics: 

the existing arms will run you at least 

$25K. You will need to contract robot programmers, 

typically an integration firm, set it 

up and test it for your unique kitchen setting 

and grill.” He goes on to explain the process 

could take months and cost more than the 

actual arm itself. And, once the arm is able to 

start flipping, it could potentially work slower 

than a person and still make mistakes. “But 

congratulations, you’ve got a $100K burger 

flipper,” he exclaims. 

The high cost is why, when it comes to 

robots in the kitchen, large chains are going 

there first. Flippy — a burger-flipping robotic 

arm — is already in place at international 

chain CaliBurger with plans for it to eventually 

be rolled out to all locations. Zume Pizza, 

an on-demand pizza-delivery service based in 

Silicon Valley, made headlines with its pizzamaking 

robots and $50-million raised in 

series-B funding. 

However, there’s more to AI than robots 

replacing humans. Machine learning can be 

applied to overlooked areas to offer valuable 

insights; such as garbage bins. Toronto-based 

Intuitive, Inc. is piloting a smart garbage 

bin that sorts waste. As it sorts, it recognizes 

what’s being tossed and compiles data. 

Founder and CEO, Hassan Murad, says, 

“We’re able to identify what people are throwing 

away and what people are consuming. [It] 

can inform facilities what people really like 

and what trends are emerging.” 

Dr. Rob McInerney PhD., founder and 

CEO of Intelligentx — an AI brewery in 

London, England — used machine learning to 

create the first AI-brewed beer. The algorithm 

takes in feedback from customers and brews 

each batch based on what it learned. “We 

could have tried to find data that would help 

us determine what the world’s best beer was, 

but what we felt we could do was 

create a product that was constantly changing.” 

McInerney says. 

This idea of humans working with AI to 

create and to solve problems is at the heart of 

most expert’s goals. 

“Robotics, if made available to people, can 

become a tool for creativity and fostering 

human-machine interaction”, says Professor 

Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable 

City Lab and founder of Makr Shakr — a 

robotic bartender. 

The same sentiment is shared by 

McInerney, “New uses of AI will enable creative 

people to be more efficient and to test 

their ideas out much quicker. Ultimately, it’s 

going to help consumers have a better experience 

and get more value for their money,” he 

says. “I’m interested in helping people to connect 

to each other and using AI to do that.” FH 



CHEF’S CORNER 

TAKING ON TRADITION 

Jon Svazas’ Ottawa restaurants highlight 

ingredients, both local and imported 

BY TOM VENETIS 

Jon Svazas, owner/operator of Fauna and Bar 

Laurel in Ottawa, says becoming a chef, while not 

accidental, was not his first career choice. After 

graduating high school, he attended Ryerson 

University, where he studied urban planning. 

“I had completed two years of the program when I 

realized I was not a ‘desk job’ kind of person,” says Svazas. 

“I decided to try construction, which brought me to 

Ottawa, and soon I found I didn’t like that either.” 

Knowing how much he enjoyed cooking, Svazas’ sister 

suggested he train to be a chef and in 2004, he enrolled in 

Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. 

After a year in the program, he began working at the 

ByWard Market Vittoria Trattoria, before moving to 

Domus Café where he worked with chef John Taylor — 

a trailblazer in Canada’s farm-to-table movement. Taylor 

instilled in him an appreciation for local ingredients 

and flavours. 

“I learned a lot [from Taylor] about local ingredients 

and their flavours; local proteins and developing relationships 

with the farmers and foragers who brought all those 

BITS&BITES 

Favourite ingredient: 

“Dry-aged beef and 

wild mushrooms” 

If you were not 

a chef, what 

would be? 

“I designed the 

interiors of both of 

my restaurants, so 

I would have liked 

to have gotten into 

furniture design” 

Travel bucket list: 

“I would love to 

travel to Japan 

and Singapore” 

incredible things to us to work 

with,” says Svazas. 

Fauna, which Svazas opened in 

2014, focuses on small plates showcasing 

nouveau-Canadian cuisine 

honouring Canada’s multiculturalism, 

while using local ingredients. 

Dishes include elk carpaccio with 

sour gherkins, nori mayo, parmesan, 

fermented nectarine, mushroom 

salt and potato crackers ($19) 

and Pacific Black Cod with parmesan 

broth, Udon noodles, calamansi 

foam, poached shiitake, carrots, 

cherry tomatoes, sea asparagus and 

turnip ($36). 

“I would describe my cooking 

philosophy as traditional flavour 

combinations with a modern twist,” 

he says. 

With Fauna firmly established, 

Svazas opened Bar Laurel — highlighting 

his love of Spain’s tapas 

culture — in 2016. Named after Calle del Laurel in 

Logrono, in the Rioja region of Spain, Bar Laurel’s menu 

gives diners an authentic taste of Spanish flavours, with 

many of the ingredients used — such as Spanish razor 

clams; the Secreto Ibérico, a prized cut of meat from the 

shoulder of an Iberian pig; and Bellota dí Ibérico, an 

acorn-fed Pata Negra ham — imported from Spain. 

“My wife (Kate) and I have gone to Spain several times 

and have fallen in love with the way the Spanish eat, the 

tapas scene and the wine,” Svazas says. “Bar Laurel offers a 

traditional take on Spanish food.” 

Other dishes include Aceitunas, fire-roasted olives with 

rosemary, lemon and olive oil ($9); Sobrasada Montadito 

made with Iberian Sobrasada, razor clam, guindilla and a 

baguette ($8); and plates of merguez — a beef and lamb 

sausage with squash purée, raisins and herb salad ($30). 

While Svazas likes to work with local farmers and 

growers, he notes that “Sadly, there is no Canadian equivalent 

of some of herbs we use. I wish we could produce a 

product like the Secreto here in Canada or the Bellota dí 

Ibérico,” he says. FH 

MATERIAL REPUBLISHED WITH THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF: OTTAWA SUN, A DIVISION OF POSTMEDIA NETWORK INC. [JON SVAZAS PORTRAIT] 


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March 2018 Digital Issue

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