November/December 2020

HOSPITALITY HEROES

CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470

MEET SEVEN HOSPITALITY HEROES WHOSE

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INDUSTRY AND THE

COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE ARE MAKING A

DIFFERENCE DURING COVID-19

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

VOLUME 53, NO .10 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

CONTENTS

12

21 SEGMENT SPOTLIGHT

The pandemic has had profound

effects on all segments of the

foodservice industry

HOSPITALITY HEROES

30 PARAMOUNT FINE FOODS

32 MAPLE LEAF SPORTS

& ENTERTAINMENT

34 BRANDING & BUZZING

36 ONE RESTAURANT

38 JEAN -FRANCOIS ARCHAMBAULT

21

42 JAGGER GORDON

FEATURES

11 CONFERENCE ROUNDUP

Women in Tourism & Hospitality

Global Summit goes virtual for

the first time

16 FISHING FOR

SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS

Restaurateurs are moving to simpler

menus and local supply

16

45 PLUG & PLAY

Combi-ovens can help keep

operators afloat in challenging times

49 AUTOMATION ACCELERATION

Smart kitchen equipment has

become a must-have in today’s

uncertain environment

DEPARTMENTS

2 FROM THE EDITOR

5 FYI

12 FROM THE DESK

OF NPD

53 PRODUCT PREVIEW

54 GOOD NEWS

30

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 1

FROM THE EDITOR

THE

ART OF

GIVING

Understandably, after living in the Twilight Zone for

the past nine months, there’s been a burning and

collective desire to turn the page on 2020. Of course,

none of us has the ability to know whether 2021 will

be a better year or a continuation of more of the

same. Still, based on what the medical community tells us, we

can expect that the next six months will be tough. So, let’s buckle

up and ready ourselves with steely determination to prepare for

the worst and hope for the best.

While the holidays will be markedly different this year for all

of us, with government-mandated restrictions still in full force,

we can only make the best of a bad situation. Closer to home,

our annual Pinnacle-Awards program has been temporarily put

on hold this year, leaving us to pivot accordingly. For the first

time in 32 years, we will not be shining the spotlight on

excellence in foodservice-and-hospitality business operations.

Still, while we cannot host and welcome 500 industry executives

this year to the Royal York, we can continue to salute excellence,

albeit in a different format and fashion.

Coincidentally, when we launched the Pinnacle Awards

in the late 1980s, one of its core tenets was a strong focus on

community involvement. What better way to

highlight this tenet than through this month’s

Hospitality Heroes (see profiles starting on

p. 29) featuring a well-deserved tribute to the

people and companies that went above and

beyond to lend a helping hand when COVID-

19 unleashed its fury. Across the country, there

are numerous displays of individuals, operators

and suppliers, big and small, that put aside

the day-to-day challenges spurred by the

pandemic and galvanized their teams to help

those at risk, those who lost their jobs, the

vulnerable, one another and the community at

large. And, while we may not be able to meet

face to face this year, on December 4th, on

what would have been the date for this year’s

Pinnacle Awards, we’ll be able to share in the

heart-warming and compassionate stories of

these remarkable Hospitality Heroes through

a virtual roundtable discussion featuring heroes from both the

restaurant and hotel community.

Given that restaurants and hotels have been amongst the hardest

hit by the pandemic, this month’s stories are particularly heartwarming

and speak to the industry’s ability to put the needs of

others ahead of its own. Of course, that’s not news to anyone

who has consistently witnessed the generous hospitality of this

industry in the past. After all, this is an industry that is woven

into the fabric of Canadian lives; this is an industry with heart.

ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com

@foodservicemag

facebook.com/foodservicehospitalitymagazine

instagram.com/rosannacaira

NICK WONG, LOCATION PROVIDED BY VIA CIBO

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EST. 1968 | VOLUME 54, NO. 10 | NOV./DEC. 2020

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA

MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK

ASSOCIATE EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE

ART DIRECTOR COURTNEY JENKINS

DESIGN ASSISTANT JACLYN FLOMEN

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/EVENTS

CO-ORDINATOR JHANELLE PORTER

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT, U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST

CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS

CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU

ADVISORY BOARD

FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK

FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER

JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES

MTY GROUP MARIE-LINE BEAUCHAMP

PROFILE HOSPITALITY GROUP SCOTT BELLHOUSE

SOTOS LLP ALLAN DICK

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON

THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY

& TOURISM MANAGEMENT BRUCE MCADAMS

WELBILT MARY CHIAROT

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Thank you

for stepping up to the plates.

Thank you, Hospitality Heroes, for your extraordinary

commitment during extraordinary times to Canadians

and the Canadian foodservice industry.

From Lactalis Foodservice Canada.

®

MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

LOSS OF

A LEGEND

Canada’s food community mourns passing

of Anita Stewart BY ROSANNA CAIRA

Canada’s food community was

saddened and shocked to hear of

the passing of Anita Stewart in

October. As a cookbook author, food

advocate and founder of Food Day

Canada, she was a passionate and tireless

champion of Canadian cuisine.

Stewart authored 14 books on the

subject of Canadian cuisine and was

a respected and leading authority on

the subject. She was instrumental in

launching Cuisine Canada in the early

’90s, at a time when local, regional

cuisine was not de rigueur. Along with

Jo Marie Powers, and as part of Cuisine

Canada, she launched a national food

conference called Northern Bounty,

which legitimized Canadian cuisine. She

worked closely with chefs, growers,

fishers and suppliers to promote

Canadian ingredients and dishes.

In 2003, Stewart founded Food Day

Canada, a day-long celebration on the

holiday long weekend in August, where

she motivated Canadians to celebrate

Canada’s rich bounty. The idea was

fuelled by the ban on Canadian beef

due to Mad Cow disease. In an effort to

help struggling beef producers during

this challenging time, Stewart organized

the precursor to Food Day Canada,

which was originally called “The

World’s Longest Barbecue,” aimed at

getting Canadians to use beef products.

In 2012, Stewart was appointed

food laureate at the University of

Guelph, with which she has had a long

association. It was from that perch that

she promoted the school’s culinary

DAVID GARCELON,

NOW GM AT THE

FAIRMONT BANFF

SPRINGS, BUT FOR

MANY YEARS AN

EXECUTIVE CHEF

WITH FAIRMONT

HOTELS, WAS A

GOOD FRIEND OF

STEWART’S DURING

HIS TENURE

AS CHEF.

NO ONE HAD SUCH

A BREADTH OF

KNOWLEDGE ON

THE SUBJECT OF

CANADIAN CUISINE.

SHE LEAVES US WITH

A MASSIVE GAP,

BUT THANKFULLY,

HER WRITING WILL

ALWAYS BE

WITH US.

contributions from its hospitality

and agricultural programs.

Earlier this summer, the

university announced it would

be building a new $1.33-million

food lab named after Stewart —

the Anita Stewart Alumni Food

Laboratory. In a press release

issued by the university during

the summer, Stewart was quoted

as saying, “We will be able to

bring many of Canada’s locally

inspired chefs, including winners

from the University of Guelph’s

Food Innovation Awards, to

campus to showcase their

talents, as well as the talents of

our researchers. The broadcast

capabilities are going to be

phenomenal.”

A day after her passing on

October 29, Niagara Falls was lit

up in red and white as a tribute

to the Canadian icon. Since

her passing, a who’s who of the

foodservice community has

spoken her praises, remembering

an exceptional woman who

mentored, advocated and

educated so many.

Stewart is survived by her

four sons: Jeff, Brad, Mark

and Paul, 12 grandchildren

and the father of her children,

Wayne Stewart. In lieu

of flowers, donations would

be appreciated to the “Anita

Stewart Tribute Fund,” at the

University of Guelph.

In 2009, Stewart was inducted as an honorary lifetime member of the Canadian Federation of Chefs de

Cuisine and last year was named as one of Canada’s national treasures by George Brown College. Nine

years ago, Stewart was named to the Order of Canada.



GOING

VIRTUAL

Toronto-based restaurant group Kinka Family is launching

four virtual-restaurant concepts. The company has begun

operating Toyko Sando & Chicken and JapaSando & Co. and

will also introduce two additional concepts in late November.

The two named concepts are available now on Uber Eats and

DoorDash throughout Ontario and Quebec. Toyko Sando &

Chicken offers pork, fish and chicken sandwiches made in

a soy-sauce marinade; fried chicken wings; and original or

‘Tokyo’ fries. JapaSando & Co. focuses on healthy offerings,

including Japanese-inspired oven-baked sandwiches,

house-made infused teas, genmaicha lattes, coffee and

an assortment of house-made vegetable chips.

THE NEW

DRIVE-THRU

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI) is modernizing the

drive-thru experience at more than 10,000 Burger King and Tim

Hortons locations, with Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen beginning its

own roll-out later this year. More than 40,000 digital screens

are being installed with powerful ‘predictive-selling’ technology,

integration with restaurant loyalty programs and the ability for

remote, contactless payment. The in-house designed predictiveselling

technology allows for promotions to be tailored based on

previous orders, regional weather patterns, the time of day and

other factors. The menu boards have also been designed with the

ability to integrate loyalty programs, allowing for customized menu

options to be displayed based on a customer’s favourite purchases

and redemption history. This functionality is currently live and

being tested at 30 locations in Canada with the Tims Rewards

loyalty program. All digital drive-thru menu boards in the U.S. and

Canada have been designed to accommodate loyalty integration via

scanning, Bluetooth or near-field communication. The new menu

boards have the flexibility to add immediate, remote contactless

payment to allow guests to order and pay simultaneously and

speed up drive-thru lanes.

SECOND-WAVE

IN OCTOBER,

SKIPTHEDISHES UNVEILED

ITS NEW SKIP REWARDS

LOYALTY PROGRAM. WITH

NO COST TO PARTICIPATE

AND NO SIGN-UP

REQUIRED, SKIP USERS

NOW EARN POINTS ON

EVERY DOLLAR SPENT THAT

CAN BE REDEEMED

FOR DISCOUNTS ON

FUTURE ORDERS.

NEW AVENUES

Health-focused fast-food chain Mad Radish has expanded its brand

family with the addition of Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls and Revival Pizza

concepts. The new structure will combine the best elements of a typical

ghost kitchen with the functionality of a customer-facing restaurant,

with all three offerings available for order in-store at select Mad Radish

locations and for home delivery across Toronto and Ottawa. Luisa’s

Burritos & Bowls offers hand-crafted burritos made with fresh,

internationally inspired ingredients and big, bold flavour, while Revival

Pizza puts a modern and creative twist on the ultimate comfort food.

The brands have stand-alone storefronts on Uber Eats, but are also

available through the company’s app, which offers all three menus for

contactless pick-up in a single order and will begin offering multi-brand

delivery in the coming weeks.

SUPPORT

SkipTheDishes implemented initiatives to support restaurant partners through the pandemic’s

second wave, offering a support package for affected restaurants in regions experiencing

restaurant closures. These measures include a 25-per-cent rebate on commission for local,

independent restaurant partners; zero-per-cent commission rate for new restaurants

joining the network; additional marketing and order-driving initiatives; and app functionality that

allows partners to diversify their menu offerings. “With pickup and delivery orders becoming

a critical revenue stream for restaurants throughout the pandemic, Skip stands with our local

partners throughout this new wave of restrictions,” says Kevin Edwards, CEO, SkipTheDishes.

6 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020


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PIZZA

PARTNERSHIP

Mohamad Fakih, founder and CEO of Paramount Fine

Foods, and celebrity chef Massimo Capra have partnered

to launch the MAS.E.MO pizza concept. The concept is

operated out of select Paramount locations in Toronto

and Burlington, Ont. and features one-of-a-kind pizzas

made with halal-only ingredients, which are available for

takeout and delivery. The launch is part of the Paramount

pandemic plan to broaden menu offerings and maximize

the use of pre-existing spaces, resulting in the new brands

Box’d, Cloud Kitchen and Krispo Chicken.

SUSTAINABLE

SOLUTIONS

During Waste Reduction Week, Tim Hortons announced a series of new

sustainability initiatives. Among these, the brand has stopped the

practice of double-cupping and will instead offer guests a recyclable

cardboard sleeve for its hot drinks. It will also introduce improved paper

napkins made with 100-per-cent recycled fibre and use 25-per-cent

less material in early 2021. The brand is also preparing to roll out new

paper-based wrappers for sandwiches and bagels in January that

are fully recyclable, while also cutting the use of paper by 17 per cent

annually. And, Tim Hortons also announced a new

partnership with TerraCycle’s zero-waste platform,

Loop. The new program will be piloted in Toronto

starting next year, offering guests the option of

paying a deposit and receiving reusable and

returnable cups or food containers with their

order to reduce packaging waste.

A&W REVENUE

ROYALTIES INCOME

FUND AND A&W FOOD

SERVICES OF CANADA

INC. HAVE ANNOUNCED

THAT THEIR CHIEF

FINANCIAL OFFICER,

DON LESLIE, PLANS

TO RETIRE. KELLY

BLANKSTEIN HAS BEEN

APPOINTED TO FILL THE

ROLE OF CHIEF

FINANCIAL OFFICER

OF BOTH THE FUND

AND FOOD SERVICES

EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER

3. LESLIE WILL REMAIN

WITH A&W THROUGH

JUNE 2021 TO ENSURE A

SMOOTH TRANSITION.

DOMINO’S PIZZA

OF CANADA IS

LOOKING TO FILL

2,000 OPEN-STORE

POSITIONS,

INCLUDING

DELIVERY EXPERTS,

PIZZA MAKERS,

CUSTOMER-SERVICE

REPRESENTATIVES,

MANAGERS AND

ASSISTANT

MANAGERS.

MOVING

UPTOWN

Nuit and Jeff Regular are opening a new location of

their renowned Thai restaurant PAI in Toronto’s Yonge

and Eglinton neighbourhood. Spanning more than 12,000

sq. ft., this expansive, two-storey location will boast

two private dining-rooms and multiple private dining

coves that can seat parties of four to 30, along with a

separate takeout entrance and a stage for future livemusic

entertainment. The decor will reflect the same

fun, quirky vibe and atmosphere of its flagship Toronto

location on Duncan Street. PAI Uptown will also feature a

brand-new wine-and-bar program and new dishes will

be introduced to the menu at both locations.

FROM THE

SUPPLY SIDE

Oneida Hospitality Group (OHG) has appointed Rabco

Foodservice Ltd. as its exclusive sales, marketing and

distribution partner for the Canadian market. OHG offers

an extensive portfolio of brands consisting of Johnson-

Rose, Co-Rect, Focus Foodservice, Update, Tomlinson and

Oneida. The addition of these brands to the Rabco portfolio

of CFS Brands, San Jamar, Magnum, CDN, Dexter and

Anchor Hocking, provides a comprehensive offering of

kitchenware and tabletop products to the Canadian foodservice

industry. “As part of our strategic plan for growth

and to better align ourselves with the right resources for

the changing Canadian market, we’re excited to partner

with Rabco.” says Bryan O’Rourke, president of OHG.

“The Rabco organization has grown into a substantial

and sophisticated resource for the Canadian foodservice

market and I’m very excited that Oneida Hospitality Group

and our family of brands will be well represented.”


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10 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2020 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

CONFERENCE REPORT

GLOBAL

Perspectives

Hospitality leaders share

insights at WITH Global

Virtual Summit

BY AMY BOSTOCK

AT Leadership Panel. The panelists, which included Janet Zuccarini, founder of


the fourth-annual Women in Tourism & Hospitality Summit, which took place

October 14 and 15th as its first Virtual Global edition, Foodservice and Hospitality

editor/publisher Rosanna Caira moderated a State-of-the-Industry Thought-

Gusto 54 Restaurants; Julian Buffam, partner, New Castle Hotels and Resorts; Abigail Tan, CEO, St.

Giles Hotels, U.K. ; and Don Cleary, president, Marriott Hotels of Canada offered inspiration and

advice for surviving through crisis and navigating a post-pandemic landscape.

As a restaurant owner, Zuccarini shared her feelings when COVID-19 hit. “I woke up one

day and really had the fear of maybe losing everything.” But, she said, “fast forward to today

and my team has done incredible work. And, we’ve been working with landlords and banks to

send the message that we’re all in this together and we all need to work together. [Because] if

everyone’s just looking to put money in their pocket, we’re all going to fail.” Zuccarini added

that seven months later, the company is now at 70 per cent of its sales volume.

At Marriott Hotels of Canada, Cleary said “we’re doing what we can to manage costs and

are optimistic for the future. We’re going to have to persevere to get through this — and we

will get through it. I’m very confident that people still want to travel — they want the

experience travel can provide — but they have to be confident this virus is behind us.”

For Tan’s team, it’s about working with and for their communities. “For the next six

months to a year, it’s not about putting money in our pockets, but about how we can be good

partners with society and community and all of us survive together. Not thrive just yet. So,

we’re looking to work with different charities and the different councils in our area to see how

we can help, since we have the resources — the rooms, the people — because we want our

team to be able to come back to work and to work full time.”

When asked what the future of hospitality looks like, Tan said the next 18 to 24 months

will be very telling.

“We’ll also see a shift in the way hotels are being used,” she said. “For example, the corporate/

business traveller will not come back the same way they did before. There’s a lot of companies

cutting big travel expenses, seeing it’s not necessary to travel and to stay in hotels as much as they

did. So, it’s about how we start to target and change the use of our rooms and our public spaces

and still be able to attract and maintain an occupancy and a revenue level.” FH

Rapid Fire

The Rapid-Fire session featured four fearless

women leaders who shared their perspectives

on how they broke barriers in their own lives

and careers. The speakers included Christina

Veira, mixologist/restaurant manager;

Suzanne Barr, chef and advocate; Rhonelle

Bruder, executive director, Project iRise; and

Peggy Berg, founder of Castell Project.

Veira spoke about the challenges of being a

Black woman in the foodservice industry

and the importance of compassion and

empathy for not just others, but yourself.

“Building resilience is also extending

compassion and empathy to yourself and

centreing that in how you navigate your life

and your professional career. Sometimes that

will look less linear than what you’re told to

do, but not all systems are built for you and

that ‘s not a bad thing. You can accomplish a

lot by going that less-linear route.”

Chef Barr shared the challenges of opening

her first restaurant in Toronto and how it

shaped her as a chef and person. “Sometimes,

even in the moments you feel like you have

to be Superwoman, you need to be saved. But

I feel like it has taken me up to this point in

my life to recognize and understand this only

makes you stronger. Every moment makes me

more curious to see what’s next and how I

can impact the next generation.”

Berg closed out the session by talking

about her drive to help women and people

of colour achieve equity in the hospitality

industry and the importance of advocacy. “An

advocate is someone who stands up for you

when you are not in the room,” she said. “But

advocates are an ecosystem…when someone

advocates for you, you become an advocate

for others.”

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 11

FROM THE DESK OF NPD

THRIVING TH

ADVERSITY

FREEPIK.COM

The challenges that the

independent restaurant

operator community has

faced this year have been

well documented in this

magazine and elsewhere.

There is much sad news for

the industry, for neighbourhoods

and, of course, for

those whose livelihoods depend on these

establishments. The fact is, the impact

independent restaurants are feeling is not

entirely due to COVID-19, though it certainly

has accelerated the trend. The overall number

of independent restaurants has been in steady

decline in Canada for many years.

WHERE WE WERE

The NPD Group’s ReCount data from 2019

shows the number of independent restaurants

in Canada peaked in 2008, just as the

economic crisis took hold and has been in

decline ever since. Since 2015, their ranks

shrunk by three-per-cent per year on

average, or a net decline of about 7,000 units.

Meanwhile, chains are on the rise, adding an

average of one-per-cent new units every year

since 2015.

Even so, the performance of independent

restaurants was not entirely negative. NPD’s

CREST data reports that for the five-year

period ending December 2019, independent

restaurants had outperformed the market by

a ratio of almost two times. Their share of

overall restaurant visits went from just over

21 per cent to almost 23 per cent. And, while

independent restaurants hold a two-thirds

share of the full-service restaurant (FSR)

segment, they’re growing at a much faster

pace in the quick-service restaurant (QSR)

segment, where they now hold a nine-percent

share. Do the math: fewer independent

restaurants and more traffic equals more sales

per unit or an increase of as much as onethird

over this five-year period. While I’m not

an operations expert, I know for certain this

can’t be a bad thing.

How is it that independent restaurants have

been able to grow their business, even as

locations were being shuttered? The answer

is in the customer experience. NPD’s data

sources confirm many consumers prefer to

seek out local and authentic food experiences

when they choose their restaurant destinations.

Independent restaurants are better suited to

provide those experiences and consumers have

been responding with their visits, dollars and

loyalty. This trend is most evident among the

younger cohorts (under 35 years old), which

have been driving many spending trends in

recent years.

On a related theme, CREST also reposts

smaller chains (less than 500 units) have

been growing their share of visits faster than

the major chains (500+ units). These major

chains may have a disproportionate share of

the market and the foodservice landscape, but

perhaps they don’t have quite the hold on the

consumer’s psyche as we all thought.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

In the earliest days of COVID-19 in Canada,

the foodservice industry was hit hard. As

restaurants scrambled to adjust to the


ROUGH

CUSTOMER DEMAND FOR LOCAL AND AUTHENTIC FOOD

EXPERIENCES IS DRIVING THE INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT SEGMENT

BY VINCE SGABELLONE

Vince Sgabellone is a

foodservice industry

analyst with The

NPD Group. He can

be reached at vince.

sgabellone@npd.com

uncertainty and new restrictions,

consumers hid in their homes.

Consequently, April foodservice-traffic

declined more than 40-per-cent compared

to the prior year. This figure had been cut

in half by the end of August, thanks in large

part to the industry’s ability to pivot to an

off-premise service model.

One might have expected the strongest

performers during this time would be the

major QSR chains. They were well established

with off-premise infrastructure and

were also less inclined to close their doors.

To some extent, this did happen. But something

else happened, too — people rallied

behind local and independent operators.

In the meantime, the very same small

operators were quickly scrambling to

re-invent themselves. In the FSR segment,

independents were the hardest hit in the

early months. Six months in, they’re

pacing the segment’s strongest-performing

chains, demonstrating the resilience and

entrepreneurial spirit that pushed them

into this business in the first place. In

the QSR segment, the small but mighty

independent operator group is holding

its own, performing almost as well as the

major chains. Interestingly, the mid-size

chains (100 to 500 units) are performing

strongest in both segments. By contrast,

the major chains are negatively impacted

by the disruption in consumers’ morning

routines and the associated decline in

breakfast and lunch traffic.

Technology has been a lifeline for many

operators and consumers during this period.

Digital-ordering rates jumped from about

five per cent of traffic to as much as 17

per cent at the height of the restaurant

restrictions. All operator groups have

seen their digital-ordering rates skyrocket,

but mid-sized chains lead the pack here.

Clearly, this is a key factor contributing to

their leading recovery rate. Interestingly,

the independent-operator set is trailing

when it comes to digital ordering, despite

a five-fold increase in penetration. Instead,

this operator set is using old technology —

the telephone — to help fuel its survival

plan, garnering almost one-third of all

off-premise orders.

Delivery is a key component of the

new foodservice landscape. It represents

approximately 20 per cent of all orders

within independent and smaller chains.

Once again, the major chains are the

outliers here, instead relying upon their

well-developed drive-thru infrastructure

for their incremental business.

It’s difficult to imagine (and even

harder to accept) that the potential loss

of restaurants — and particularly independents

— as a result of COVID-19’s

impact could result in several years of

attrition in just a matter of months.

Canada’s foodservice landscape will never

look the same as it did just a few short

months ago. But, smaller operators and

independent restaurants’ ability to

maintain and even grow their share

during these difficult times reinforces the

belief that the industry will rise from this

crisis stronger than ever. FH



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16 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 2020 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

for

SUSTAINABLE

OPTIONS

RESTAURATEURS ARE MOVING TO

SIMPLER MENUS AND LOCAL SUPPLY

BY DENISE DEVEAU

for sustainable seafood is far from

the demand losing traction with consumers. But,

as with all things pandemic related, there’s been a significant impact

on the diversity and quantity of inventory across the board.

Foodservice operators are doing their best to work around the

complexities by adjusting menus, forging relationships with new

verticals and going hyper-local with their seafood sourcing where

they can.

Sophika Kostyniuk, manager, Ocean Wise Seafood in Vancouver,

says prior to the turnaround, sustainable seafood was booming.

“Last fall, when things were still ‘normal,’ there was tremendous

appetite for diversity of seafood on the market and supply chains

opened up to meet demand. In 2018, we saw record volumes in

seafood consumed per person per year.”

The rise in seafood’s popularity grew from the diversity of offerings

and growing demand for leaner protein sources. Fads such as poke

bowls and sushi grew as North-American palates evolved. Up-andcoming

species before the pandemic included halibut, spot prawns

and geoduck giant clams.

When the world turned upside down in March, it created instability

in the supply chain, particularly for higher-end offerings, Kostyniuk

explains. “Export markets shut down. The market wasn’t there to

sustain the volumes harvesters needed to sell them. High-end

restaurants were severely impacted.”


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER2020 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 17

Currently the top five go-to

items continue to be tuna, salmon,

shrimp, whitefish and cod. “There

simply isn’t the diversity of supply,

so restaurants are paring down their

menus to just a few staple offerings

to make them as broadly appealing

as possible.”

Peter McCallum, owner/

manager of The Whalesbone Group

in Ottawa, reports his restaurants

are currently running at 50-per-cent

capacity. This is relatively strong

compared to some operations,

because Ottawa has a preponderance

of government and tech companies

that have fared well. “We haven’t

seen customers go to cheaper

options. They don’t seem to be price

conscious at all.”

Not being in a coastal region

however, shipping costs for

sustainable seafood have tripled

since COVID-19 began, McCallum

reports. “Where there used to be 10

commercial flights a day coming in,

now there are two, making it more

difficult to book space.” East-coast

products are shipped in by truck,

which helps to defray the costs. As

for international shipments, “The

cost is just too prohibitive.”

Supply is also limited, largely

because fishermen and growers aren’t

catching as much. “If there isn’t the

market, they’re not going to fish it.”

To accommodate the fluctuations,

his restaurants have changed their

menus to a combination lunch/dinner

in order to offer cheaper, moreaccessible,

lunch-type items.

Adam Colquhoun, owner/operator

of Oyster Boy in Toronto, says his

oyster orders have dropped from

an average 27,000 a week to 6,000

to 9,000. “Right now, we’re only

doing takeaway and some small

catering events.”

Suppliers are feeling the collective

pain of COVID-19 as consumption

has seen a 60- to 90-per-cent decline,

he says, adding he’s had to reduce his

list from 17 to about five options.

Restaurants are paring down their menus to

just a few staples with broad appeal

Since Colquhoun has not

re-opened his restaurant, he’s

foregone fresh fin fish, and now

works with frozen items for easy

takeaway offerings, such as fish and

chips and tacos. “You can’t cook

a fresh fillet and put it in a box

because it will be overcooked once

it’s delivered.”

NAVIGATING

COASTAL WATERS

For many sustainable-seafood

aficionados, Ocean Wise and Marine

Stewardship Council (MSC) are

considered to be the “right and left

hand of sustainability,” says Ned Bell,

co-owner and chef at Naramata Inn in

Naramata, B.C. and chef ambassador

for Vancouver-based Ocean Wise.

He notes the West Coast is

uniquely positioned when it comes

to variety and supply of seafood.

“East Coast is cod, lobster, scallop,

shrimp and tuna. On the West Coast,

the king is wild B.C. salmon

followed by a number of other

species important to the economy.”

His own restaurant has been

incredibly busy, he reports. “We’re

serving a heck of a lot of B.C. seafood

and charging accordingly so we can



pay fair prices to the fishermen. There

hasn’t been a single complaint.”

In the last six months, he’s seen a

decided uplift in community support

for local produce. “There is a real hyper

focus on supporting the region and

small business.”

Shane Robilliard, executive chef and

Food-and-Beverage director at Fox

Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S., says

even though the East Coast has lagged

the West when it comes to sustainable

seafood, “We’re finally getting to a place

where customers are appreciating it and

willing to pay more. It used to be draining

to try and get the message across,

but it’s been exciting to see the education

of the guest has finally caught up.”

He reports that choice has been

stable through the pandemic in his

neck of the woods. “I’d say we’re at 85

per cent of where they were last year in

terms of revenues. But I do worry about

some smaller suppliers struggling with

lower volumes. I hope they can make it

through all this.”

Menu offerings such as locally

farmed Sustainable Blue salmon have

picked up over the last couple of years.

“It’s one item that has skyrocketed. It

accounts for up to 20 per cent of menu

sales,” Robilliard says.

He says another item gaining traction

is Arctic char. “We added a locally farmed

product at the end of July. It completely

blew me away how fast it sold, so we

immediately put it on the menu.”

Popular sustainable staples also

include longline halibut, fresh trout

from the property’s trout farms and even

octopus on occasion. “Of course, we go

through mountains of lobster when it’s

in season. This year, the cost is about

$1.50 less a lb., which is nice to see.”

Oysters continue to be a significant

piece of business at Fox Harb’r Resort

and Robilliard is doing his best to

support the local suppliers, who he

estimates have lost 30 per cent of their

overseas sales and are down 50 per cent

on their overall sales.

it’s not only how

you grow it, but

also how well

you can supply it.

people selling to

restaurants need

to know if they can

fulfill sales orders.

[Operators] need

that predictability

to plan their menus

and fixed costs

Wade Scott, Quality Assurance

manager for Fisherman’s Market in

Halifax reports that for both shellfish

and fin fish, volumes are somewhat l

imited, but improving. “The market

sucks up every pound we can ship.”

Within three weeks of the lockdown,

Fisherman’s Market’s sales dropped 70

per cent, but then started to pick up to

the point where it’s now down 40 per cent

from the same time the previous year.

Scott says they were fortunate in that

they developed a crisis-management

program early in the pandemic. “We did

a quick inventory when lockdown came

and ordered well ahead because of the

slowness of delivery. We never ran out

or had to refuse a client.”

Fresh ideas

Beyond coastal waters, sustainable freshwater

seafood is having a surge of its own,

as the number of aquaculture operations

grows. St. Thomas , Ont.-based Susan

Cole, board president of the Ontario

Aquaculture Association and co-owner

of Cole-Munro Foods Group Inc., says

rainbow trout accounts for 93 per cent

of freshwater-farm seafood supply in the

province, followed by shrimp.

Up-and-coming species also include

tilapia, Arctic char and barramundi.

Freshwater-lake wild catch is mainly

yellow perch, pickerel and whitefish.

Beyond the variety of options, reliability

of supply is critical, Cole says. “It’s not

only how you grow it, but also how well

you can supply it. People selling to restaurants

need to know if they can fulfill sales

orders. [Operators] need that predictability

to plan their menus and fixed costs.”

She’s been excited to see a number

of innovative approaches on the part

of chefs and restaurants in areas such

as meal kits and prepared meal services

through retail partnerships. “Prior to

COVID-19, 38 per cent of meals consumed

were in restaurants. That went

down to nine per cent during the height

of the lockdowns, which meant turning

more to retailers. Operators have had to

really change their thinking and delivery

mechanisms. Partnerships will be key.”

Kostyniuk is also pleased to see

operators applying a number of

innovative approaches to promoting

sustainable-seafood consumption.

“People are going out of their way

to stay in business and keep offering

incredible food — whether it’s food

trucks, food delivery, takeout or pickup.

We’re seeing unbelievable resilience

and a commitment to staying open.” FH

Popular staples at Fox

Harb’r Resort include

longline halibut and fresh

trout


SEGMENT REPORT

SEGMENT

SPOTLIGHT

EXAMINING THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT

ON FOODSERVICE SEGMENTS

BY DANIELLE SCHALK

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent

economic crisis has had an undeniable

impact on the Canadian foodservice industry.

Shutdowns, health-and-safety measures

and continued uncertainty have created a

challenging environment for operators.


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 21

DINER

Confidence

According to a survey released

by Andia. work in August:

• Canadians feel significantly

safer eating at independent

restaurants (35.5 per cent)

compared to fast food (23

per cent) or chain restaurants

(11.1 per cent)

• Canadians feel safer on

patios (21.7 per cent) than

indoor dining-rooms (10.2

per cent)

• More than half of Canadians

(56.8 per cent) are still ‘only

eating at home’

According to Restaurants

Canada’s Foodservice Facts 2020,

at the height of pandemic shutdowns

(April 2020), commercial

foodservice sales plummeted by

61.4 per cent compared to the

previous year. And, with many

Canadians working from home,

locations in downtown cores have

especially suffered, as has the

breakfast daypart. Data from The

NPD Group shows that, in April,

breakfast traffic at quick-service

restaurants (QSRs) fell 48 per

cent year over year, while breakfast

and lunch traffic at

full-service restaurants (FSRs)

plummeted more than 80 per cent.

“Before the pandemic [38 per

cent] of an average (Canadian)

household’s food bill was devoted

to foodservice. In March [and]

April, it went down to nine per

cent,” Sylvain Charlebois, professor

of Food, Distribution and

Policy at Dalhousie University,

stated during the 2020 Terroir

Symposium in September. “Now,

based on our estimates, we’re

at about 75-per-cent [retail],

25-per-cent [foodservice].”

In this environment, Nick

Di Donato, president & CEO

of Toronto-based Liberty

Entertainment Group, says the

focus of many has been finding

ways to “minimize the losses so

we can get through this period.”

“Trying to pivot the business

is one thing,” adds Ryan Moreno,

CEO of Surrey, B.C.-based Joseph

Richard Group (JRG). “But [we

were] also trying to figure out, at

the same time, what was going to

be allowed.”

Despite government support

measures and efforts to pivot

operations to suit the current

climate, a Restaurants Canada

survey found the majority of

restaurants that were open for

just takeout/delivery or onpremise

dining were not turning

a profit, with 68 per cent of FSRs

and 51 per cent of QSRs reporting

they were operating at a loss.

Di Donato also points out

companies and brands that

had poured their resources into

expansion prior to the pandemic

have been left in a particularly

precarious position. “Anybody

who was on a rapid-growth curve

is going to suffer exponentially,”

he says. “They’ve allocated all

their resources and funding into

expansion and perhaps don’t

have as much of a purse to hang

on and keep things going.”

As David Hopkins, president,

Toronto-based The Fifteen

Group, explains, the challenges

faced by the industry’s various

segments “are pretty much the

same across the board.” He

highlights reduced traffic,

new safety procedures

and

exacerbated

staffing

challenges

as key examples.

“Managing staff, schedules

and flow of traffic is

always challenging in the best

of times,” he explains. “Now it’s

become even more of a full-time

job just to manage that aspect.”

And, while the entire industry

is struggling and working to

navigate the challenges created

According to

Restaurants Canada’s

Foodservice Facts 2020,

54 per cent of licensed

restaurateurs felt the

ability to offer alcohol

with takeout meals had

a positive impact on

their sales.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PIZA; TED CHAI PHOTOGRAOHY [STARUCKS]


SPONSORED CONTENT

Canadian Egg Farmers are

Inspired by the Culinary Industry

Chef Craig Flynn of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Contributed by Egg Farmers of Canada

The pandemic has forced us to think about

farm to table in a different way. From

farmers to chefs, there have been challenges for

everyone in the business of keeping Canadians

fed. But as they say, ‘where there are challenges,

there are opportunities’ and Canada’s culinary

industry has risen to the occasion, showing

resolve, perseverance and dedication to the

community, and we, Canada’s egg farmers,

applaud you.

Third generation egg farmer and Chair of

Egg Farmers of Canada, Roger Pelissero, saw

first-hand how you stepped up to the challenge.

“This year, the Canadian culinary industry has

been a beacon of resilience and innovation. I saw

local chefs and restaurateurs in my community

and across Canada adapt to the challenging

circumstances. They kept Canadians engaged in

their local culinary economy by pivoting, sharing

recipes, videos and meal kits and by supporting

each other and their communities.” These

culinary leaders continued rallying around their

friends, neighbours and fellow Canadians, with

many restaurants opening their hearts and

pantries to Canadians in need. “It makes me

Chef Dale MacKay of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

especially proud to see how our entire food

system has come together in a crisis to support

those around us,” adds Pelissero.

Times of adversity can weaken communities,

but they can also serve to unite. Now, more than

ever, Canadians are choosing local. A recent

study showed that three in five Canadians were

inclined to choose local food items and two out

of five were more inclined to choose menu items

that feature local and Canadian ingredients.

And just like the culinary industry, Canadian egg

farmers continue to support our local economy

by providing continued access to an affordable

protein option in fresh, local, and high-quality

eggs. Because ensuring our community has

what it needs to keep going, kept us going.

Chef Craig Flinn started his first restaurant

to highlight the amazing local produce of his

home province, Nova Scotia, and his support

for local fare and his community didn’t stop

there. “Despite a difficult year, I was fortunate

enough to be able to spend time volunteering,

including supporting community initiatives close

to my heart.” Chef Craig’s story is just one of the

countless untold experiences of Canadians in

the culinary industry who found themselves in

need and still found ways to give.

The culinary industry knew the top priority was

keeping its workers and the community safe.

When Top Chef Canada winner and restaurateur

chef Dale MacKay closed down his restaurants

temporarily, he was able to take the opportunity

to learn, re-connect and slow down for a moment.

“Recently, I’ve had the chance to discover

the local businesses right in my own backyard

and learn about farming and local food producers.

It has also afforded me the time to really

consider my role as a chef and restaurant owner,

the businesses I support and the community we

collectively serve.” Chef Dale’s perspective shift

is one shared by many in the community, taking

that second gear reserved for a Friday night

rush and re-purposing it to support the local

community. It’s thanks to hard-working members

of the culinary industry such as chef Dale that

the majority of Canadians feel restaurants have

successfully adapted to COVID-19 restrictions.

Those who inspire, most often are inspired by

others. Chef Flinn knows it will be a team effort

to keep on the right track. “Though it’s been a

challenging year for many across our country,

I’ve been re-invigorated by how food producers,

chefs and communities have come together to

help one another. We’ve all had to adjust our

work and daily lives, and I believe we will prevail

stronger than ever, with a strengthened appreciation

for one another.”

Egg Farmers of Canada is proud to be a part

of Canadian’s food industry and stand behind

the culinary community. Together, we’ll help

Canadians remember they’ll always find comfort

in a good meal.

eggfarmers.ca

y the pandemic, not all segments

of the industry have been

impacted equally.

QUICK SERVICE

AND FAST CASUAL

“The quick-service and fast-casual

segments fared better through

it all because they could pivot

more easily to a delivery/takeout

model,” says Hopkins. However,

he adds, almost everyone is down

compared to last year and the

speed with which restaurants

were able to shift their operating

One of Burger King’s new designs

features a suspended kitchen and dining

room above the drive-thru lanes

WE’VE NOTICED THAT

CHAIN RESTAURANTS OR WELL-BRANDED

PROFESSIONAL RESTAURANTS HAVE FARED

MUCH BETTER. THE ONES THAT COME

ACROSS AS VERY POLISHED AND

BRANDED…TENDED TO FARE BETTER

BECAUSE THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS VERY

CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY

AND THEY ASSOCIATE THAT BRANDED,

PROFESSIONAL FEEL TO A RESTAURANT

[WITH] A MORE-SAFE

ENVIRONMENT

model and share these changes

also impacted performance.

According to Foodservice

Facts 2020, while faring better

than other segments, QSRs saw

declines of 40.6 per cent in April.

And, despite largely being well

positioned to shift to takeout/

delivery, 19 per cent of restaurants

in the segment temporarily shut

down all operations due to either

their business model or location

in a shopping mall.

As noted in a Technomic

Industry Insights report, pizza

chains were among the segment’s

best positioned to adapt to the

COVID-19 landscape, emerging

as the crisis’ “early winners” due

to their well-established offpremise

channels, including both

in-house and third-party delivery.

Reflecting this trend, Pizza Hut

had systemwide sales growth of

18 per cent during the second

quarter of 2020 and a year-todate

increase of 11 per cent.

Other major brands reported

significant sales declines, including

Burger King and Tim Hortons,

which saw Q2 decreases of 25 per

cent and 33 per cent respectively.

Similarly, A&W Food Services of

Canada Inc. reported a 31.6-percent

drop in same-store sales for

Q2. KFC’s Canadian operations

were less impacted, reporting a

four-per-cent decline.

On the other end of the spectrum,

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen,

which has been growing its presence

in Canada, posted doubledigit

system wide sales growth for

the quarter (24 per cent).

Aside from declining sales, the

factor affecting this segment

the most is the growth of

contactless ordering. According

to Technomic, many Canadian

consumers expect these options

to be offered at fast-food outlets,

with more than 30-per-cent indicating

online ordering via mobile

or computer is an expectation.

“There’s a lot more movement

towards streamlined operations

and [fewer] points of contact,”

says Hopkins. “Prior to COVID-

19, we were starting to see things

like self-serve kiosks [rolling

out at McDonald’s and Burger

King]…And I think we’re going

to see that happen a lot faster.”

Offerings from Liberty Entertainment

Group’s Don Alfonso 1890

As an example, he points to

Box’d by Paramount, which

launched this summer and is

touted as a fully automated

restaurant experience. Toronto’s

Naan & Kabob Group also

launched the Cubby Smart

Kitchen concept in October,

offering five different menus

served through a self-serve

‘Cubby’ (digital locker) system.

And, in recent months,

Burger King and Starbucks both

announced plans to implement

new restaurant designs focused

on convenience and improving

the digital-customer experience

in reaction to changing

customer behaviours.

FULL SERVICE

Generally speaking, FSRs

didn’t fare as well as their QSR

counterparts. According to

Restaurants Canada, the majority

of FSRs temporarily closed

through April following lockdown

because many weren’t well

positioned to shift to takeout/

delivery operations.

According to Statistics Canada,

full-service restaurants saw a

78.1-per-cent year-over-year

decline in sales for the month of

April. During this time, 47 per

cent of restaurants in the segment

were closed for the entire month

and 65 per cent were closed for at

least part of April.

PAULA WILSON [DON ALFONSO]


During the height of shutdowns,

many, including Liberty

Entertainment Group, took

the time to assess their options

before implementing an offpremise

strategy. Its first focus

was its casual Italian-food brand

Cibo Wine Bar, which already

had some delivery presence.

“[We] increased the offers we

had, did things to make it better

[and] we even went into things

that were never offered before,”

says Di Donato, explaining that

Cibo began selling cook-athome

meals.

While JRG also implemented

new offerings — including meal

and cocktail kits — as it shifted to

off-site dining, Moreno says the

company found itself in a somewhat

more favourable position

than some of its competitors, as

its portfolio of public houses and

upscale-casual restaurants already

had established digital-ordering

channels. The company had

also launched its ghost-kitchen

platform, Meal Ticket Brands, in

2019, which Moreno credits with

helping get the company through

the shutdowns.

“We were extremely lucky we

had launched this delivery concept

prior [to the pandemic],” he

says. “We didn’t have to lay off

any of our management across

the company…they were the

ones, from the front and back

of the restaurant, operating the

delivery out of our stores.”

Moreno also credits its focus

on more suburban locations in

the Fraser Valley with helping JRG

maintain demand at its restaurants,

explaining these locations are

more community focused and

less reliant on tourism or office/

business clientele.

Di Donato points out that,

generally, fine-dining restaurants

were not well equipped to quickly

pivot their operations during

shutdown. But, after enhancing

Cibo’s delivery offerings, the

company began testing delivery

for its Blue Blood Steak House.

“We weren’t sure it would resonate,


Commercial Foodservice Sales, march and april 2020

(vs. March and April 2019)

-37.1%

Total

March

-61.4%

April

because [it’s] high end, very

expensive,” he says. But the company

was ultimately surprised by

its success. “People were getting

tired of the same old food and

were ready to have a special meal

at home, so we filled that gap with

Blue Blood.”

“[COVID-19 has] forced a

lot of restaurants that were

never interested in online

ordering [to] all of a sudden

start scrambling and looking

for a solution,” says Hopkins.

“Now, if you don’t have that,

you’re behind.”

With the re-opening of

on-premise dining, FSRs

saw a significant increase in

sales (dollars), which grew

58.3 per cent in June from

the previous month, according

to Statistics Canada.

However, the segment’s

unadjusted sales for June

2020 were still down 51.8

per cent in year-over-year

comparison.

And, with the return of cooler

weather, full service is expected

to see renewed challenges. “In the

table-service [segment], whether

it’s upscale-casual, casual-family

or high-end dining, we’re going

to see price increases over the

next little while,” says Hopkins,

citing the end of patio season and

decreasing government support.

“The only way that restaurants

with reduced capacity can remain

Full-Service

Restaurants

-49.3%

-78.1%

profitable is to increase prices.”

ALTERNATIVE CHANNELS

Given the current uncertainty

and ongoing shifts in consumer

behaviour, Charlebois says, “This

blurring line we’ve been talking

about for many years, between

service and retail, is going to

become even more interesting…

COVID-19 just blew everything

up — there’s no line anymore, it’s

just food.”

As an example, he points

to Loblaws’ recent collaboration

with Toronto

restaurants for meal-kit

offerings, adding

he expects to see

more initiatives

Quick-Service

Restaurants Caterers Drinking places

-23.6%

-40.6%

-33.3%

-74.7%

-58.1%

-90.5%

Source: Canada/Foodservice Facts 2020

like this in the future. The launch

saw Loblaws add dishes from

Burger’s Priest, La Carnita, Fresh

Restaurants, Fat Lamb Kouzina,

General Assembly Pizza, Kinton

Ramen and Sala Modern Thai to

its PC Chef Meal Kits direct-tohome

delivery service.

“Probably the most important

While loosened

restrictions and

warmer weather

created more

opportunities for

restaurants, many

full-service

restaurants continued to face

challenges. Statistics Canada

reported 32 per cent of FSRs

were closed for part of June

(compared with 44 per cent in

May and 65 per cent in April)

and 11 per cent were closed

for the entire month of June.


Technomic estimates

2020 retail sales

equivalent (RSE) for

bars and restaurants

in Canada will

experience a decrease

between 22 and 24

per cent.

thing happening

right

now is this phenomenon

that I call

‘the democratization of

the food supply chain’ as a

result of COVID-19. Because

of e-commerce, everyone has

access to the consumer,” adds

Charlebois. “We actually are

expecting online sales for food to

triple this year as a result of the

pandemic.”

Many restaurant companies

turned to HMR and meal-kit

offerings to supplement revenue

during the height of pandemic

shutdowns. For example,

TopTable Group, Oliver &

Bonacini and Joey introduced

grocery and meal-kit offerings

for online ordering and delivery.

Expanding on its cookat-home

offerings, Liberty

Entertainment Group launched

a boutique grocery concept offering

restaurant-quality products

direct to consumers, as well as

a selection of spirits and wines

curated from its restaurants’ wine

cellars.

“We created a

Cibo Market within

our [Cibo] restaurants…because

we had

suppliers, we had food [and]

we had the space,” explains Di

Donato. “Those did fairly well,

helped us get through,” he adds

noting the new revenue stream

helped mitigate losses.

And, moving forward, Di

Donato says the company is eying

further moves into e-commerce.

“[We plan to] continue looking

for things like [Cibo Market],

which are restaurant/hospitality

related, but can get us outside of

just being bricks and mortar.”

Moreno notes “the innovation

that we had [done] earlier certainly

helped carry us through.”

This innovation included an

online liquor-delivery platform

that had been in the works prior

to the pandemic, which JRG was

able to accelerate and launch

quickly after lockdowns occurred.

“We’ll continue to push down

that road,” he adds, referring to

delivery-focused initiatives within

the company.

In September, Toronto-based

General Assembly Pizza launched

a pizza-subscription service offering

free home delivery for stacks

of four to 10 pizzas, building on

its line of frozen pizzas launched

in the spring. While initially

available to customers in Toronto,

the brand plans to expand the

service throughout Ontario

in 2021.

And, in October, Torontobased

iQ Foods Co. launched iQ

Essentials, offering a new line of

ready-to-cook meals and snacks for

front-door delivery once a week.

And, while some operators

continue to explore and roll

out new e-commerce platforms,

Moreno says the future of JRG’s

meal-kit offerings is “iffy,” noting

declining demand as most

businesses re-opened. However,

“direct to consumer is still

something we’re looking at and

plan to keep pushing forward,”

he adds, highlighting the important

role its food- and liquordelivery

platforms have played

in the company weathering the

pandemic. “The direct-to-consumer

[channels], regardless of

COVID-19, was something that

was coming anyway.”

As Hopkins points out, the

HMR and meal-kit market is now

highly competitive and has even

tighter margins than restaurants.

And, with many caterers and

restaurants seeing these markets

as an opportunity, “that’s

extremely challenging,” he says,

“because there’s so many people

trying to pivot to that.”

MOVING FORWARD

The disruption caused by the

pandemic is expected to have a

range of far-reaching impacts

on the foodservice industry, not

the least of which is the growing

number of permanent closures.

Charlebois says he anticipates

approximately 30 per cent of all

Canadian foodservice establishments

could go out of business

“by next year.”

“For a very long time, our

industry is going to be a lot more

cautious,” says Di Donato. “I

don’t think you’re going to see the

rapid growth in a lot of areas that

you’ve seen before in the food

industry — because this could

happen again.”

“[The pandemic has] made

the consumer a little more

empathetic to restaurateurs

and the hospitality industry, to

understand how difficult our

business is,” Di Donato adds.

“I also think communities will

realize how important our

industry is to community.”

Given the level of uncertainty

felt within the industry, focus

on diversification seems to be

on the rise. A prime example,

Paramount Fine Foods has

launched four new concepts

since June as part of its ‘pandemic

plan.’ In addition to Box’d,

Paramount has launched the

Brampton Cloud Kitchen offering

pickup and delivery; the friedchicken

concept Krispo Chicken;

and MAS.E.MO pizza in partnership

with chef Massimo Capra.

And, both Di Donato and

Moreno credit their companies’

diversified businesses as an asset

that’s helped them weather the

current crisis and pointed to

further diversification as a key

focus going forward.

Speaking to the future of

delivery and e-commerce

offerings, Charlebois adds, “I

don’t think there’s any going

back…because people are

getting accustomed to the service

— and the service is getting

better.” FH

PAULA WILSON



We’re in this

together

We salute the resilience

and ingenuity of our food

service and hospitality

community.

BLT CONSTRUCTION SERVICES | YOUR BUILDING PARTNER

BLTCONSTRUCTION.COM

MEET SEVEN HOSPITALITY HEROES WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS

TO THE INDUSTRY AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE ARE

MAKING A DIFFERENCE DURING COVID-19



Mohamad Fakih (left) is well-known in

the industry for his philanthropic efforts

Paramount Fine Foods continues its

culture of caring through turbulent times

BY AMY BOSTOCK

Mohamad Fakih believes it’s

easy to talk about principles,

values and good things when

everyone is doing well. But,

says the founder of Paramount

Fine Foods, a Toronto-based

Middle-Eastern restaurant chain, “it’s so hard

to maintain it and prove it was not lip service

at the worst time for businesses, industry and

people, when everyone is stressed.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first

impacted Canada back in March, Paramount

Fine Foods, has been taking steps to ease some

of the burden felt by its staff and members of

its communities.

“It’s about supporting each other and

understanding everyone is experiencing

hardship right now,” says Fakih, who is wellknown

in the industry for his philanthropic

initiatives. “We must come together as a community

to best support one another and fight

through this together as one strong entity.”

Paramount committed early on to donating

nearly 2,000 meals to food banks and shelters

across the Greater Toronto Area to support

the most vulnerable in those communities.

The company also worked with Feed Our

30 FOODSERVICE AND HXQOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020


Heroes, an initiative to support frontline

healthcare workers through meal delivery.

“We hope that through these initiatives

we’re able to help and provide service to many

people in need of support,” says Fakih. “It’s

times like these where we must give to those

in need and help provide for those who are

taking care of us.”

As COVID-19 continues to shake the

industry, Fakih says, in his role as a leader,

ensuring the safety and health of his team

members continues to be a top priority.

“There are so many stressors (professional

and personal) our team members are dealing

with daily. It’s important to let them know we

appreciate and support their efforts,” he says.

“You also need to remind your people why we’re

doing all this, why we’re still standing, why we’re

still smiling. We have others looking up to us as

leaders and we need to lead by example.”

He says being a strong leader through these

turbulent times means being supportive and

letting his team know they’ll get through it

together. “Checking-in and celebrating the selfless

contribution of individuals on my team

during these unprecedented times [is important].

It’s more important now than ever to keep

your team engaged and motivated.”

He also points to what he calls “purposeful

optimism” as a way to help his team cope with

the challenges presented by COVID-19. This

means sharing short- and long-term plans

and clearly communicating how each role

within the team will contribute to the company’s

future success.

“[We need to show them] it can be done and

be patient when it comes to any resistance we

find within our team. It’s also very important to

show how the least fortunate are surviving.”

Acknowledging and appreciating the efforts

of his team is accomplished in a number of

ways, including sharing examples of restaurants

and team members that go over and above.

“Everyone celebrates these accomplishments

because it’s a ‘win’ for the entire Paramount

family,” he explains. “Our success is 100-percent

dependent upon their passion and commitment

to Paramount’s future.”

While Paramount isn’t immune to the

financial challenges brought on as a result of

COVID-19, Fakih firmly believes continuing

to give back and support important causes

strengthens the company’s corporate culture.

“At these uncertain times, we need to dare

to care,” he says. “We need to support each

other as we navigate the growing concern of

the Coronavirus together. Paramount is going

to do whatever we can to keep our guests,

team members and communities safe.” FH

There are so

many stressors

(professional and

personal) our team

members are

dealing with daily.

It’s important to

let them know we

appreciate and

support their

efforts



When COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the NBA and N

BY ROSANNA CAIRA

Chef Chris Zielinski,

executive chef, MLSE helped

co-ordinate an emergency

plan when COVID-19 hit

Earlier this year, when COVID-19

turned the world upside down,

many businesses were forced to

shutter their doors while others

pivoted accordingly. For Maple

Leaf Sports & Entertainment

(MLSE), whose focus on fun has helped

build a thriving business while entertaining

Toronto’s sports and music fans, the magnitude

of the closure was immense, given its stable of

products includes three high-volume

restaurants, as well as concessions and corporate

suites. The cancellation of both the

NHL and NBA seasons was a grim reality

for the team of employees who work at the

Scotiabank arena. But, instead of sitting idly

by and waiting for business to return, the

brigade of 22 chefs turned its efforts to a new

reality and, within days, the arena was re-purposed

into a huge production kitchen feeding

thousands of people in need.

“We broke open an emergency plan where we

shifted everybody we had here into rescue mode

and donated 27,000 lbs. of food on that day,”

explains Chris Zielinski, Culinary director, MLSE.

The same situation unfolded across the city at

restaurants and shelters, explains Zielinski. “All

of a sudden there’s all this partially cooked food

but nobody to cook it, nobody to serve it. That’s

where the idea sprung out of,” says Zielinski.


HL seasons, the team at MLSE pivoted to help the needy

The team at MLSE wasted no time putting the

company’s empty spaces to good use

“Once I heard that, I said, we have something

here that most of the city doesn’t have and that

is space. We have the space to actually socially

distance in the kitchen and in the arena.”

Without skipping a beat, MLSE transformed

the mammoth arena into Toronto’s

largest meal-production facility, with access

to six restaurant kitchens through the building,

as well as the kitchen at BMO, which is

also operated by MLSE. Almost overnight, it

crafted a large-scale meal program to produce

and deliver between 10,000 to 12,000 meals a

day to community agencies, including Second

Harvest, the Scott Mission and various other

groups, to support the city’s most vulnerable

as well as to thank Toronto’s frontline health

workers and their families for their efforts.

Being community minded isn’t a foreign

concept for MLSE — it’s actually part of its

DNA. The company’s efforts to support the

community are well known through its

relationships with various social agencies,

including Second Harvest and La Tablée des

Chefs, whose programs have allowed the arena


to increase the number of pounds of rescued

food in one year from 20,000 to 50,000. “A lot

of our staff were already super engaged with

Second Harvest. A lot of them hate seeing food

thrown out, like I do. We instantly had cheerleaders

all over the building.”

Cooking up huge volumes of meals

required a huge production area, which shifted

to the floor of the arena where employees

and volunteers worked alongside each other

(respecting physical-distancing parameters) to

package up the meals, with about 250 dishes

assembled hourly.

As many of its part-time staff had to be laid

off, a complement of 75 full-time F&B managers

were “the ones who’ve been carrying the load

on this,” says Zielinski, adding the initiative gave

them a purpose during a difficult time.

Despite the challenges that surfaced along

the way, Zielinski says the buy-in from the

industry and the city was amazing. “This was

truly a Team-Toronto effort.”

While the initiative was intended to end on

June 15th, with the exception of the period

leading up to the Stanley Cup playoffs, when

Toronto was designated as one of four hub

We broke open an emergency plan where we shifted

everybody we had here into rescue mode and donated

27,000 lbs. of food on that day

cities, it’s still going strong. “For me, we’ve

gone through all this work and developed this

great system; we’ve got a lot of people helping

us with donations. If the need is there, we’ll

continue doing it.”

Zielinski is thankful for the lessons this

experience has taught him. “We have a lot

of caring people at this company; we get the

devotion of the entire city. The number of

people who want to give back, who want to be

part of something great, blew me away. You

don’t know it until it happens.” FH


Branding and Buzzing used its resources to create a

level playing field for struggling foodservice operators

BY AMY BOSTOCK

As seasoned marketers, Sean Beckingham and Marian

Staresinic know the power of collaboration. So, when

two of their foodservice clients approached them about

helping Canada’s struggling restaurant industry during

COVID-19, the duo immediately got on board.

On April 15, about one month after restaurants were

forced to close for on-premise dining, their Toronto-based agency,

Branding & Buzzing, launched Canada Takeout — a grassroots movement

that encouraged Canadians to support their local restaurants by

ordering takeout.

Under the hashtag #TakoutDay, the initiative harnessed the power

of social media and digital marketing to draw attention to the plight of

restaurateurs across the country and offer diners a way to help.

“All our clients wanted to do something, but didn’t know what to

do,” says Beckingham. “It didn’t make sense to spearhead anything on

their own. When the [Ontario] government announced restaurants

were able to do takeout and delivery, we got a call from Anna Stolee

at McCormick Canada saying ‘I want to do something…I want to

support [places] that are open right now’ and Marian and knew this

was something we could get behind.”

Vince Di Maria, division president of foodservice broker Affinity

Group was the next to call and, from that conversation, Canada

Takeout was born. “Vince helped bring dozens of brands/companies as

partners to [the initiative],” says Staresinic.

But this was not a typical campaign. For one, the team at Branding

& Buzzing put it together in record time.

“A typical campaign can be anywhere from six to 10 weeks of planning,”

explains Beckingham. “Canada Takeout launched in a month.”

The premise was simple — offer operators a no-cost way to advertise

their takeout/delivery offerings and customers a way to find restaurants

in their area. By visiting canadatakeout.com, diners can locate restaurants

using the Restaurant Finder Map; sign up for exclusive newsletter, as well

as “coming-soon-to-your-area” announcements; find opportunities from

operators to save money on their takeout order; and view weekly

restaurant round-ups featuring places to eat across Canada.

The response has been phenomenal. In fact, as of August 31, there

were more than 14,500 foodservice-operator listings on Canada

Takeout and the campaign has built a following of more than 15,000.

The website boasts 459,000 visitors and 756,000 page views, paid social

for the campaign sits at 17,300,000 impressions and #TakoutDay has

160,150,474 impressions.

“It gave a sense of hope for everybody,” says Beckingham. “It gave

everyone the opportunity to help — it gave sales reps reasons to call

their restaurants to say, hey, this campaign is coming, so order your

supplies’ and gave restaurants a sense of hope that they could start

making food again. It was a very level-playing-field approach when the

controversy was happening around third-party-delivery apps. [Canada

Takeout] had nothing to do with delivery fees — it’s a free service for

both users and restaurants.”

While the campaign started with Wednesdays, Staresinic says they’re

now trying to encourage people to “make any day takeout day.” And the

Branding & Buzzing team is not content to rest on its laurels, making

sure the campaign stays top of mind for people. To accomplish this, the

team created thematic days such as Pizza Day, Soup Day and Curry Day.

“It gave people a chance to celebrate a moment in time — especially

in a time when there’s not a lot to celebrate,” says Beckingham.

On a personal note, Staresinic says the Canada Takeout campaign

was also a great opportunity for the Branding & Buzzing team. “[It]

allowed us to work on something altruistically with our team. We

always seem to be client and deadline driven, but with Canada Takeout,

it was a Branding & Buzzing-owned initiative, so that allowed us to

work with our team in a different way — allowed everybody on the

team to get personally and emotionally involved. We worked 50 to 60

hours a week for the first two to three months and we were all tired.

But, it feels pretty damn good now, because we’re having this interview

with you. Being recognized is so touching for me.” FH


THE

BRANDING

& BUZZING

TEAM

MARIAN STARESINIC

SEAN BECKINGHAM

AIMEE COOK

SHANLEY GIBB

SPENCER REYNOLDS

CASEY TELFORD

NICOLE RASHOTTE

Marian Staresnic and Sean

Beckingham lead the team

at Branding & Buzzing



Mark McEwan and his team stepped up early in the

pandemic to help frontline workers

As the COVID-19 pandemic

took hold, Mark McEwan

mobilized his team of

professionals to help

the community

BY ROSANNA CAIRA

Over the past nine months, stories of how

COVID-19 has decimated the foodservice

and hospitality industry have

become legion. But amid the destruction,

frustration and the fear, a wealth

of good-news stories has emerged, proving even

through adversity, good can ultimately triumph.

Like all restaurateurs forced to deal with the

wrath of COVID-19, Mark McEwan moved

quickly to make tough decisions. Virtually overnight,

he closed seven of his nine properties.


I distinctly remember delivering meals to

paramedics during the pandemic and it was

amazing to see the dedication, commitment and

positivity of these incredible paramedic units

“It was tough, but we understood the safety

precautions necessary and pivoted swiftly

with our grocery and catering offerings. We

invested in significant PPE training, signage,

changed store structures, removed hot tables,

integrated individual packaged meals and

more to ensure stores were safe environments

for our guests and team. We continuously

updated our protocols and products as we

learned more and continue to do so,” explains

the astute operator.

Through the upheaval, McEwan realized

the desperate need to lend a helping hand

to the community. “At first, we did what we

could at store level. The first hour of shopping

was dedicated to senior clients, we offered 10-

per cent off for seniors and frontline workers,

free grocery delivery for seniors and individual

meals for staff.”

Through his grocery emporium, McEwan

Fine Foods, he also donated to the Good

Shepherd and The Seeds of Hope Foundation

and produced meals for Mount Sinai Hospital,

while working closely with Second Harvest —

a group he’s actively supported for years. “We

also sold products like Vodkow’s local and

sustainable hand sanitizer, where with each purchase,

they provided meals for Second Harvest

and hand sanitizer for their delivery teams.”

But it didn’t stop there. “At ONE

Restaurant, we provided packaged meals for a

variety of local groups, women’s shelters and

paramedic teams.” In the local community,

it worked with The Sanctuary, Church of the

Redeemer and the 519. “We also created meals

for The Interval House,” says McEwan, adding

ONE Restaurant and The Hazelton Hotel

worked in unison to prepare meals weekly for

The Sanctuary and Church of the Redeemer.

McEwan also offered virtual cooking classes

to raise funds for various charitable groups

and his team showed support for various

industry initiatives, such as Canada Take Out

and #SaveHospitality.

Clearly, the impact of the pandemic has

been multi-layered, but McEwan says it’s

galvanized his team for the greater good.

“At McEwan Fine Foods, our GMs, George

Bachoumis and Eric McEwan, oversaw all

logistics and any product delivery, while chef

Kris Topping prepared all meals with his team.

“At ONE Restaurant, executive chef Darby

Piquette and head pastry chef Amy Tenn-yuk

reached out to me at the start of the lockdown.

They live near ONE Restaurant and

saw, first-hand, the aforementioned community

organizations at work. These two

very talented chefs, along with chef Richard

Hakim, were central in beginning our weekly

food donations.” As momentum grew,

McEwan’s director of Communications,

Jessica Rodrigues, as well as The Hazelton

Hotel’s managing director, Hani Roustom,

managed further co-ordination and outreach

with additional organizations. “Many

of the deliveries were personally dispatched

by chefs Darby and Amy. Jessica and Hani

also hand-delivered to community centres

and helped spread the word to gain further

support. I distinctly remember delivering

meals to paramedics during the pandemic

and it was amazing to see the dedication,

commitment and positivity of these incredible

paramedic units.”

While the pandemic has destroyed many

layers of the foodservice community, the need

to prevail has kept McEwan’s team focused

on the greater good. “It was a hard time for

everyone, but especially for different at-risk

communities who really felt the effects of the

COVID-19 crisis. We wanted to help where

we could, give back to our guests who support

us and show gratitude for the people keeping

us safe. Many of the organizations we worked

with also hold unique significance for our staff

and creating these meals kept our teams active,

which was good for mental health and morale.”

Nine months after the pandemic sparked

a global frenzy, there’s still no end in sight.

“We’ve continued to feel the impact of

COVID-19. When we were able to open, it was

at half capacity on patios only, then reduced

capacity indoors and we were then made to

shut indoor dining with 24 hours’ notice,” says

McEwan, who has been vocal about the need

for stronger political leadership. “It’s been a

roller coaster, but we’re dedicated to making

our restaurants as safe as possible for guests

and staff. We’re evolving. We’ll continue to

work with our long-term charitable partners

while providing a safe environment for our

guests to enjoy our offerings.” FH



When COVID-19 hit the foodservice industry, La

Tablée des Chefs brought it together to create meals

for those in need

BY ROSANNA CAIRA

When the hospitality industry

became one of the biggest

casualties of the global COVID-

19 pandemic earlier this year,

it left a huge surplus of food

with no home. “The hospitality

industry was hit so fast that we needed first to

recover a lot of food from closing establishments

to direct towards food,” explains Jean-

Francois Archambault, founder and director

of the Montreal-based La Tablée des Chefs, a

non-profit group focused on food-recovery

programs as a way to feed those in need.

But it didn’t stop there, says the tireless

industry advocate. “Our school program,

Kitchen Brigades, also had to stop because

[the government] closed down the schools,

so we needed to go virtual and try to reach

kids in a different way,” he explains. “We also

realized a lot of people would not receive the

food they needed because of a shortage of

volunteers in the community, mainly because

of confinement.”

Undaunted by the massive challenges,

Archambault quickly pivoted. “We got our

chefs involved in cooking for the community,”

and launched Solidarity Kitchens, a food-prep

initiative boasting more than 70 kitchens that

prepped the meals and created more than two

-million meals for the community in Quebec

and other large Canadian cities — mainly

Vancouver and Toronto. “We got the chefs

back in their kitchens and more than 600

tons of food donated in order to prep these

meals and distribute them to food banks. It

was massive; [we did] all that in five months,”

boasts the father of twins. And, he launched a

virtual Kitchen Brigades Workshop in order to

reach teenagers at home.

With razor-sharp focus, La Tablée des

Chefs linked itself with the Food Security

emergency committee and the Association of

Food Banks in Quebec and also drew support

from Vancouver and Toronto through Second

Harvest. “We worked with the Minister

of Agriculture in Quebec and Agriculture

Canada to seek guidance and [to receive]

funds out of emergency grants.


Led by Jean-Francois Archambault, the

team at Montreal-based La Tablée des

Chefs helped feed those in need during

COVID-19

We were able to get the whole industry mobilized and our team was at the heart of it, but we

involved chefs, cooks, distributors, wholesalers, producers, food processors, farmers, food retailers,

cold-storage-warehouse companies and transportation companies, hotels, restaurants and catering

agencies — the entire foodservice industry

“We were able to get the whole industry

mobilized and our team was at the heart of

it, but we involved chefs, cooks, distributors,

wholesalers, producers, food processors, farmers,

food retailers, cold-storage-warehouse

companies and transportation companies,

hotels, restaurants and catering agencies —

the entire foodservice industry.”

Like every other business, the La Tablée

des Chefs had its own financial challenges to

deal with through the lingering pandemic,

but Archambault didn’t let that deter him.

For the passionate chef-trained advocate, it’s

always been about giving back — a tenet that

fuelled him to found La Tablée des Chefs in

2003, long before the topic of food waste was

on anyone’s radar. Since then, his organization

has helped distribute and feed more than

three-million meals, primarily through foodrecovery

efforts at some of the industry’s largest

restaurants, hotels, sports arenas (including

the Bell Centre and the Scotiabank Arena)

and hospitals. In the process, he and his team

have rescued food that would normally get

thrown out and re-distributed it to those in

need. He’s also developed culinary-education

programs for more than 30,000 young people.

And, equally as important in the process, the

group has diverted 750 tons of uneaten food

from landfills.

“We’re always focused on the impact we can

have and our mission to help. We thought the

need would be greater [this time around], but

the way we would be able to provide help was

somewhat different because of the context.”

Now, nine months after COVID-19 first

blindsided the world, the health crisis continues

to impact the community and businesses

alike, which means much work still

needs to be done. “We already know the need

will be greater for at least 12 to 18 months,

so are planning Phase 2 of the Solidarity

Kitchens to produce another two-million

meals to provide to food banks across

Canada and mainly in Quebec. We’re also

working on our virtual content to get teenagers

active in the kitchens at home.”

For Archambault, it’s all in a day’s work. FH

MICKAËL A. BANDASSAK [JEAN-FRANCOIS ARCHAMBAULT]



Garland-Welbilt Canada acts on COVID-19 strategy

with an outward focus s

By Danielle Schalk

Begets Support

Garland-Welbilt Canada acts on COVID-19

strategy with an outward focus BY DANIELLE SCHALK

The company joined forces with

its service partners to mobilize

food delivery to those in need

When pandemic shutdowns came into

effect in March, Mary Chiarot, vicepresident

& general manager, Garland-

Welbilt Canada says her company saw

“the whole pipeline come to a standstill.”

But, rather than shut down completely,

the Mississauga, Ont.-based

company operated

factories on reduced

hours and adjusted to

accommodate whatever

demand remained

from hospitals, institutions

and retail. Our

approach was less

about hunkering down

and being focused

inwardly, but rather we

focused outwardly,” says

Chiarot. “Part of our

success in the Canadian

market is not just what

we do every day [as

a manufacturer], but

our leadership position

within the foodservice

industry. And, we believe we have a responsibility to

support the industry,” Chiarot explains, noting her

philosophy has long been a pillar of Garland-Welbilt’s

strategy. Among its key efforts is scholarships and bursaries

to help develop the industry’s future leaders. But,

in the face of sudden challenges created by COVID-

19, this commitment was not only maintained, but

greatly expanded.

When considering how best to offer support,

Garland-Welbilt’s industry partnerships, such as consultants,

servicing partners and industry associations,

as well as customers/operators, were top of mind. The

company looked at how they were being impacted and

searched for ways to “work closely with them in order

to support them and, in turn, [have] them support us,”

Chiarot adds.

“We quickly tabled a bunch of things we could do

and set out with our troops to try and reach out and

drive some of those initiatives forward,” shares Jeff

McMullen, vice-president, Sales, Canada at Garland-

Welbilt Canada.

Among the initiatives put in motion was outreach

to community kitchens, including Community

Food Centres Canada, offering additional equipment

and support preparing food and meals. “We quickly

reached out to partners like Gordon Food Service and

Bridor…and asked for donations; they quickly ponied

up and chef Geoff [Scott] produced those meals,” says

McMullen. “In excess of 2,000 meals were delivered out

of [the Welbilt Canada Culinary Centre] within the first

30 days.”

The company offered additional support communities

by loaning equipment to charitable organizations,

temporary kitchens and food centres. It also worked

with its service partners to subsidize repairs and

installation costs. These partners were also mobilized


The team at Garland-Welbilt

turned its focus outward when

COVID-19 hit, introducing

programs to help its clients

survive the pandemic

Part of our success

in the Canadian

market is not just what

we do every day [as a

manufacturer],

but our leadership

position within the

foodservice industry.

And, we believe we

have a responsibility to

support the industry

to help deliver the meals prepared at the

Culinary Centre.

Recognizing the strain on restaurants,

Garland-Welbilt also took action to support

the industry’s displaced workers as a founding

partner of the Canadian Hospitality Worker

Relief Fund (CHWRF), which distributed

more than $1-million in one-time, $500 grants

to applicants from the industry.

Chiarot describes the CHWRF’s creation as

a grassroots initiative developed prior to the

introduction of many government-support

measures. “We used our resources, as well as

our brand and our business name in order to

bring more funds into that bucket of goodwill,”

she adds.

Other efforts included support for Canada

Takeout’s #TakeoutDay campaign (see story

p. 34) and the launch of a financing program

to help cash-strapped operators access new

equipment.

“We worked on making it more feasible

and economical for that operator to stay in

business,” says Chiarot. This also includes

“providing guidance and consulting to those

operators that are re-thinking or re-inventing

their business.”

“We provided some demo equipment so

[restaurants] could augment their foodservice

to be able to get through and switch over to

more takeout,” adds McMullen, pointing to an

example of an Italian fine-dining restaurant

that pivoted to a pizza-takeout concept.

As the industry continues to face

challenges, Chiarot says food insecurity will

remain a main focus of the company’s support

efforts, adding it’s been part of the company’s

calling for more than five years. This will

include “working with community kitchens,

but not only address food insecurity by delivering

fresh and hot meals, but also teaching

people how to cook meals that are economical

for their for themselves and their families,”

she explains. FH



Jagger Gordon has

expanded Feed it Forward’s

network and operations

to meet growing need

BY DANIELLE SCHALK

There has to be a

change and the only

way it’s going to

change is if we all

try together


Feed it Forward quickly expanded its reach

in order to meet the rise in food insecurity

during the pandemic

Feed it Forward, launched in 2014

by chef Jagger Gordon, was created

to address the issues of food waste

within the industry and tackle food

insecurity. The Toronto-based nonprofit

encompasses a 200-acre farm in Whitby,

Ont., a pay-what-you-can grocery store and

café in Toronto, a food-hamper program and

mobile food-truck program.

But, when government-mandated shutdowns

came into effect in March, Gordon,

says he was kicked into “battle mode” as he

and his team worked to scale up operations to

meet the need created by the pandemic.

Despite his catering business drying up due

to COVID-19, Gordon threw himself into filling

the need he knew would arise. To start, the

chef committed to making 30,000 meals out of

pocket. But, he put out a call to the industry,

which went viral on social media, and donations

and additional support started coming in.

“I knew, in our industry, that everyone was

going to be shutting their doors and there was

going to be a lot of product that needed to be

utilized,” he explains. “I was able to open up

three different operating kitchens that would

continuously make meals with the food we

rescued by the ton — we’re talking by the ton

every other day.”

At this time, the food-rescue organization

was producing approximately 5,000 meals a

day and was able to build up around 58,000

frozen meals for what Gordon calls its emergency

pre-made meal bank and distribute these

through a roster of community organizations.

As founder and CEO, Gordon is the heart

of the organization, with his vision being

executed through the efforts of the organization’s

2,200 volunteers and partnerships with

the likes of the Red Cross, Breakfast Clubs of

Canada and Second Harvest, as well as a range

of grocery, restaurant and supply partners.

“What I’m so excited about is getting to

watch this come alive through networking like

this,” Gordon says.

Additionally, Feed it Forward worked

with Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and

Entertainment (MLSE) to distribute the

meals the company produced through its

meal-donation program (see story on p. 32)

and is also making pet food from food waste

because, as Gordon points out, there are many

people who are struggling who have pets and

“they’re going to feed their animal first.”

As the crisis endures, the team continues

to produce nutritionally balanced meals

seven days a week. And, the founder explains,

the next step is for others to take the Feed it

Forward model and replicate it throughout

Canada — especially as regions of the country

begin shutting down once again.

“I need to let chefs, restaurateurs, food providers

and manufacturers know we need to

work together,” Gordon says, stressing it needs

to be a co-ordinated effort.

Part of this will be facilitated by the

upcoming re-launch of Feed it Forward’s app,

which allows “any person in the world that

has either cooked a meal or has something

they need to utilize the opportunity to share

it rather than destroy it.”

The other piece of the puzzle is utilizing the

framework Gordon has already established,

which is available on Feed it Forward’s website,

to set up similar and partner organizations

beyond the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“I would only hope to have this replicated

by others that have the same vision, rather

than have proprietorship over it anywhere

else in the world,” the chef says, noting he has

the GTA well in hand. “We have the idea, we

have the freezer system, we know where the

product comes from, we know where to put it

and we now have the capability, through our

website and app, [for people to be] able to ask

for help.”

As the initiative forges forward, a key

challenge Gordon faces is the cost of the

sustainable packaging Feed it Forward uses,

with the ultimate goal being to establish a

reusable-container system. But, he’s confident

in organization’s future.

“Together, we’ll move forward because

there’ll be a lot of people finally wanting

to donate to maintain our integrity,” says

Gordon. “There has to be a change and the

only way it’s going to change is if we all try

together — the possibilities are endless working

together…food is not a privilege.” FH



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EQUIPMENT

PLUG

PLAY

COMBI-OVENS CAN HELP KEEP OPERATORS

AFLOAT IN PANDEMIC TIMES

BY DENISE DEVEAU


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 45

The ever-versatile combi-oven

is once again stepping up

to the plate as restaurateurs

adapt to running operations

during the pandemic. For

several years, the combi-oven has been an

integral part of many kitchen operations,

thanks to its versatility, ease of use and efficiency.

But, these days, chefs are discovering

even more reasons to leverage the intelligence

and capabilities of these all-around workhorses,

from reduced staffing and space restrictions,

to menu changes and kitchen formats.

One major issue influencing today’s operations

is the shortage of labour and skills in kitchens,

many of which are running at skeleton-staff

levels. “Combi-ovens really allow for the entire

production to be plug and play. They take out

the guesswork for chefs,” says Louis-Philippe

Audette, president of RATIONAL Canada.

Blodgett’s line of universal

combi-ovens

Many operators are pivoting to combi-ovens

at a time when dining-rooms are closed and

they’re converting to takeout, reducing their

menus and consolidating functions where

they can, he says. “Combi-ovens not only help

reduce waste, they allow chefs to work handsfree

while taking care of other business.”

They can also be monitored and operated

remotely, Audette adds. “It helps to have that

fluidity. When you have staff pressed for time,

you want to maximize how much you can get

out of a cooking device. It helps streamline

production, because you can cook several

items together and set times for each.”

“One-chef kitchens can run a larger operation

with less staff and rely on the equipment to

make everything more efficient and profitable,”

says Steve Meehan, corporate chef, Food

Service Solutions Inc. in Mississauga, Ont.

April Shaw, VP of Blodgett Combi Sales

and Marketing in Essex Junction, V.T.,

observes that many operators are streamlining

their menus because they don’t have a lot of

staff in the kitchen and are getting back to

their core profitable products. “Combi-ovens

are faster and don’t require micro-management,

so chefs can do something else while the

oven does the producing. That’s a huge

portion of what’s going on today.”

QUALITY AND QUANTITY IN ONE

The cost savings can also add up when

operations are running on shoestring budgets,

says Mark McEwan, executive chef at Food

Service Solutions. “With combi’s, not only

can you produce high-quality food without

a highly trained person to execute it, you can

get up to a 20-per-cent higher yield on meat

cuts versus convection.”

Another key factor is consistency. By

improving and creating systems around food,

restaurateurs can cook with more consistency

and less prep, he adds. “Someone can call in

sick and you can still achieve the same quality

on a regular basis.”

With staffing at a minimum, an added

bonus is that a combi-oven cabinet can

accommodate multiple items at the same

time, ensuring a consistent product every

time with less skilled staff.

“There’s so much programming you

can do,” Meehan says.

WHERE THE COMBI’S ARE

As a result of the pandemic,

the restaurant industry has

experienced a rise in commissary/ghost

kitchens. Owners

of multiple restaurants are

following the QSR trend of

transitioning to remote kitchens

to prepare food for transfer to

the different locations.

“Ghost kitchens are something we’re seeing

a lot more of,” McEwan says. “Whereas it

was typically takeout pizza or Chinese-food

operations, now everyone is doing it to reduce

the high overhead of brick and mortar so they

don’t have to worry about location.”

A combi-oven can do the work of a fryer,

grill, convection oven and steamer in a smaller

footprint. “Instead of six or seven pieces, now

you might have one or two,” he says. “The

icon-based screen is the same interface you

find on a cellphone or tablet, so the learning

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facilities are really jumping on board.

We see a lot of growth in that area

because the one good thing about

combi technology is it automatically

logs all HACCP data. It knows the

temperature of every minute in the

cooking process and constantly

monitors that it is in the safe zone.

That’s a huge benefit.”

A CASE IN POINT

Stephen Clark, executive chef at Chop

steakhouse in Calgary, has long been

a fan of combi-ovens for its prep-hall

operation. Now he’s bringing them to

GRATE

MACHINE

FOR YOUR

OPERATION

0

The Lainox Naboo line of combo-ovens

curve is much easier and the training

much faster. You could take high-school

kids and a combi-oven and create a popup

ghost kitchen to create an efficient

takeout model.”

Ventless systems have also come to

the forefront in these scenarios. “Ghost

kitchens are the biggest new market

sector right now. You can put them anywhere

and create a modular-style kitchen

with ventless combi ovens,” Shaw says.

An added benefit is that the modularity

of a ventless system allows kitchens

to separate production areas to address

sanitation and physical-distancing challenges,

she says. “Ventless plays a huge

part in that.”

Combi-ovens are also selling more

into supermarkets, QSRs and other

restaurants trying to optimize

operations, Meehan says. “Healthcare

RATIONALE’s iCombi

line takes the guesswork

out of producing

consistent quality,

regardless of

experience level


This is not

the time to

be spending

money we

don’t need

to. All of us

really have to

make sure we

know what

we’re doing

first

POUNDS

OF CHEESE

IN THREE

MINUTES

YOU CAN ALSO

SLICE, DICE & JULIENNE

Robot Coupe USA, Inc.

264 South Perkins

Ridgeland, MS 39157

1-800-824-1646

www.robot-coupe.com

the cooklines. The chain just completed

a renovation in Halifax and is opening

a new Saskatoon location in November.

“Both of those kitchens rely heavily on

combi technology,” he says.

It all started a year-and-a-half ago

with a renovation in Richmond, B.C.

He saw an opportunity to use combiovens

to reduce their kitchen size and

increase dining-room capacity. “We

replaced a good chunk of equipment on

our cookline with RATIONAL ovens.

We still have a deep fryer and Montague

[Harvard, Calif.] broiler, but everything

else is done with the combi-oven. With

the consistency and speed of those

ovens, we knew it wouldn’t take long

for people to learn how to make food.”

The timing was ideal, given the onset

of the pandemic, because they could

let the combi ovens take the place of

an extra person. “In a busy kitchen we

usually have two people running the

station. The RATIONALs with timers

are the extra person now.”

They’ve also played a key role in

Chop’s takeout strategy “That’s where

combi-ovens really help because one

person can manage two stations. And

we don’t find ourselves burning anything

because it was forgotten. That’s

been the biggest win for us. Even if

there’s only one skilled person working

three lines, it almost feels like they have

a couple of friends with them.”

The Halifax location is the smallest

kitchen they’ve built to date. Part of

that is due to having the combi-ovens,

he says. It boasts one double unit for

prep during off-peak times and another

two that serve as sauté stations for

appetizers. The overall investment was

$75,000 all in.

“Between the space we saved and

the equipment we didn’t buy, we came

out pretty close to even. That’s the cool

part. We’re in the process of trying to

quantify the ROI so we can convert

other existing properties. This is not the

time to be spending money we don’t

need to. All of us really have to make

sure we know what we’re doing first.”

Economics aside, his favourite

feature is the programming. “What I

like most is the intelligent level controls.

That’s where the magic happens.” FH

TECHNOLOGY

AUTOMATION

ACCELERATION

Fun Fact:

On a per-capita basis, Canada

has adopted high-speed ovens

at a much greater rate than

the U.S., according to

manufacturer data

from Food Service

Solutions.

SMART KITCHEN EQUIPMENT HAS BECOME A MUST-HAVE IN TODAY’S UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT

BY DANIELLE SCHALK

FREEPIK.COM

hifts within the industry have been accelerated

as foodservice operators have been forced to reevaluate

and pivot their operations, spurring new

demand for technology and equipment.

“As COVID-19 has changed the landscape

for the industry, we’re starting to see a lot of

foodservice companies start to shift their attention

towards smarter, more-efficient equipment,”

shares Charles Rothman, regional Sales manager

and Social-Media manager at Mississauga, Ont.-

based Food Service Solutions (FSS). “The entire

industry, since March, has had to pivot in order

to adjust with the current climate and find a

viable way to be profitable.” He points to combiand

high-speed ovens as key products that have

seen recent demand spikes.

Louis-Philippe Audette, president of

RATIONAL Canada, also notes a marked increase

in demand for kitchen automation and smart

equipment. “This has been the toughest time for

restaurants to navigate through, from many perspectives,”

he explains, noting the business fluctuations

and compounded staffing challenges created

by the pandemic.

And, while many had been eying smart kitchens

pre-COVID-19, the operational and cost benefits

they offer have pushed smart equipment into the

spotlight. “At the end of the day, it’s about viability

and profitability,” says Rothman. “Where smart

kitchen equipment really stands out is in the key

areas of restaurants’ ability to manage costs and

drive revenue. Smart equipment eliminates the

need for other pieces of equipment, which immediately

makes [opening] a foodservice business

more viable — lower overhead, less operating

costs and smart technology is generally ENERGY



from the

supply side

STAR-approved equipment.”

Certain equipment combinations

(see sidebars) are designed

to improve kitchen management,

business operations and use of

space. They also leverage the

Internet of Things (IoT) to create

greater efficiencies. With this builtin

functionality, cooking processes

require less oversight, freeing up

staff for other tasks. “And, of

course,” adds Rothman, “the biggest

cost for the industry, outside

of the cost of goods, is labour.”

High-speed ovens, such as

the Xpress Chef line also offer

As the largest procurement organization in North

America, we support more than 9,000 hospitality

operators As in the Canada largest procurement and strive organization to deliver in North

exceptional America, value we year support over more year. than 9,000 hospitality

operators in Canada and strive to deliver

exceptional value year over year.

Our innovative and data-driven procurement

Our innovative and data-driven procurement

system successfully aligns our partners with our

system successfully aligns our partners with our

network of network national of national and and regional regional suppliers, ensuring ensuring

access to access the products to the products and and services they need

when they need them.

when they need them.

features such as remote menu

management and connectivity

to easily standardize and update

recipes. Given these ovens’

versatility, Rothman says FSS has

seen a spike in requests for this

equipment across the country.

Additionally, there’s the added

benefit of the simplicity of use

that comes along with the builtin

technology. Along with the

ability to program recipes and

automate processes comes greater

simplicity when training staff.

“You’re able to bring in

people with less experience at a

www.foodbuy.ca

www.foodbuy.ca

lower cost and to efficiently train

them to create recipes just as a

higher-level chef would,” says

Rothman.

And, with the insights and

analytics afforded by smart

technology, further efficiencies

can be achieved. Equipment can

record health-and-safety data,

monitor its functionality and

provides alerts when cleaning or

maintenance is needed. “What

we’ll see more of in the future

is more products becoming part

of this connected hub,” says

Danielle Forget, Marketing

manager, RATIONAL Canada.

“It’s allowing business owners to

gain intelligence on their kitchen

that was never possible before.”

Beyond cooking equipment,

smart kitchens encompass a

range of other technologies

that serve to further streamline

back-of-house operations. For

example, Boston Pizza began

rolling out QSR Automations’

ConnectSmart Kitchen graphicaldisplay

system in Canada in 2018.

The display system features

kitchen video, programmable

prep times and access to realtime

production information to

help handle workflow and ease

communication in busy kitchens.

Additionally, cubby/locker

systems are being more widely

lainox

The Just Duet combo connects

Lainox’s Naboo combi-oven and

Neo — which can chill, slow cook,

hold, thaw and proof. By utilizing

the Lainox Cloud, together

the two appliances help ensure

the freshness and quality of each

meal, enabling shorter wait times

and space savings of up to 70 per

cent. “It’s referenced as the world’s

smartest, smallest kitchen,” says

Charles Rothman, regional Sales

manager and Social-Media manager

at Mississauga, Ont.-based Food

Service Solutions, which distributes

Lainox in Canada. “This is one of the

areas of our company — especially

during COVID-19 — that we focused

on heavily, because you can eliminate

a tremendous amount of process

[and] pieces of equipment.”

RATIONAL

RATIONAL has launched the iCombi

Pro Line in Canada, improving upon

its existing combi-ovens with higher

productivity, shorter cooking times

and lower energy consumption. The

iCombi Pro indicates which foods

can be cooked together and items

can be prepared as quickly as possible,

produced in the most energyefficient

way or sequenced to be

ready at a specified time. And, when

combined with the iVario Pro and

ConnectedCooking online platform,

the combination — the iKitchen —

covers more than 90 per cent of all

conventional cooking applications in

a smaller footprint.

The multi-functional iVario

Pro looks like a tilt skillet, but can

boil, pan fry, sous vide, deep fry,

pressure cook and perform lowtemperature

cooking.


Recognizing that the investment required to implement smart equipment is out of

reach for some operators — especially in the midst of the pandemic — RATIONAL Canada

recently rolled out a leasing program. “Maybe they can’t afford it without leasing but

it’s the product that’s going to help keep their kitchen moving,” says Louis-Philippe

Audette, president of RATIONAL Canada. “So leasing is going to be something that we’re

very focused on making available to anyone who needs it.”

considered as an order-pickup

solution in the current environment.

These systems allow

food to be transferred directly

from the kitchen to self-serve

compartments accessed by customers

and delivery curriers. For

example, Cubby Smart Kitchen

was recently launched in Toronto

by the founders of Naan &

Kabob Group. The virtual-kitchen

concept, which offers five menus,

features self-serve order kiosks and

food cubbies. Box’d by Paramount

— Paramount Fine Foods’ fully

automated restaurant concept,

which launched in Toronto this

summer — also utilizes digital

cubbies and shelves to identify

orders and create a streamlined

experience. “The state-of-theart

technology used throughout

Box’d will revolutionize and

transform how consumers

experience dining on-the-go and

will help our guests feel safe,”

says chef Tomer Markovitz, who

developed the menu for Box’d.

“With one chef per meal, all

meals are sealed and delivered

to sanitized, individual cubbies,

which simplifies the process and

keeps cleanliness and safety top

of mind.”

“In order to rebuild our

industry and get back to solid

ground, we need to either be able

to keep our heads above water

until we have a vaccine and

normality again or we’re going

to have to have other types of

solutions in order to keep

generating revenue from

the public to keep

everyone afloat,”

says Rothman. FH

Hospitality

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PRODUCT PREVIEW

OVENTION

Ovention is continuously working to

provide the best equipment solutions

for its customers and has

released new additions to its

lineup: MiSA-a12. MiSA stands for

microwave speed assist. Ovention

designed a rapid-cook oven that

produces higher quality food,

provides labour efficiencies, has

a shocking capacity-to-footprint

ratio and it’s ventless. Now you can

produce a wider range of food products

with the quality you expect

from Ovention and do it faster.

oventionovens.com

POLAR KING

MOBILE

Polar King Mobile (PKM) refrigerated

trailers are designed and engineered

specifically for outdoor and over-the-road

use. The patented process for constructing

the one-piece structure Polar King

walk-in refrigerated trailers is completely

weatherproof. Its 100-per-cent seamless

fiberglass design and rounded insulated

corners promote a sanitary, easy-toclean

environment and the durable, NSFapproved

non-slip flooring system greatly

reduces the risk of slips and falls. PKM’s

portfolio currently offers three eight- to

16-foot small refrigerated trailers, all

with commercial quality, 54-inches wide

refrigerator doors.

polarleasingmobile.com

NEW

ADDITIONS

FOODSERVICE SUPPLIERS UNVEIL NEW PRODUCTS

TO HELP OPERATORS ACHIEVE SUCCESS

THE

VOLLRATH

COMPANY

Vollrath has launched a new line of

1-Series Delivery Bags with two-inchthick

insulation, durable construction

with re-inforced stitching and heavyduty

handles and straps. They also have

a moisture-resistant outer shell, solid floor

panels for rigidity and are collapsible for easy storage.

vollrathfoodservice.com

JASPR/FOOD SERVICE SOLUTIONS

It’s possible for the COVID-19 virus to be

passed on through contaminated air in

heating and A/C systems, so it’s never been

more important to ensure the air in your

business is totally free from harmful bacteria,

pathogens and allergens. To keep your

staff and customers safe, you need to purify

your air. Jaspr is not just an air purifier that

helps keep your health practice safe, it’s a

medical-grade air purifier that delivers the

highest level of performance for the most

affordable price.

foodservicesolutions.ca

OPENTABLE

As restaurant doors re-open,

chefs will be at the stove,

customers will fill tables (even if

they are a few more feet apart)

and communities will come

together. Whether you’ve been

closed for weeks, are planning

your re-opening or adapted to offer takeout and delivery, OpenTable can

help you welcome back guests and re-build your business. OpenTable’s

Open Door program is available with no subscription fees and no cover

fees through March 31, 2021.

restaurant.opentable.com/doors-open

CAMPBELL’S FOODSERVICE

Campbell’s Foodservice has introduced its new Bombay-Style Butter-Chicken Soup, which features a rich and creamy

curry soup, accented with garam masala, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. With butter chicken ranked as a top-ranked

growth driver for ethnic cuisine in Canada, this is an on-trend offering to add to menus. In fact, butter chicken ranks

number-1 among the ordered items through Uber Eats and number-2 through DoorDash across Canada. The fully

prepared soup saves time and labour while ensuring consistency and is available in four-lb. packaging.

campbellsfoodservice.ca



FEEL-GOOD STORIES FROM THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

The Power

of Mentorship

STARBUCKS CANADA SUPPORTING

CANADIAN BLACK YOUTH

In partnership with the Black Business and Professional Association

(BBPA), Starbucks Canada and MentorCanada are offering 1,000

young Black Canadians between the ages of 14 and 29 the opportunity

to be part of a mentorship program called MentorME. The goal of

the program is to equip Black youth with knowledge, guidance,

resources and support to help secure employment, fulfill their

potential in the workplace, build resilience and find resources for

educational completion and achievement.

Developed in partnership with the BBPA, SAY IT LOUD,

MentorCanada and Starbucks Canada, MentorME has been created

to address the needs of Black youth across specific industries,

including literary arts, visual arts, culinary art, performing art,

technology, social impact and innovation, fashion design and

entrepreneurship, connecting young Black Canadians to adult

mentors from various professional sectors.

“The BBPA is committed to the wholesome development of

members of the Black Community here in Canada,” says Nadine

Spencer, president of the BBPA. “We have thousands of Black

youth who are eager to access networks, resources and information

that will accelerate their career and personal development. I’m

pleased that the MentorME Program will serve as a platform to

deliver these solutions to the members of the community waiting

to receive them.”

Earlier this summer, Starbucks Canada pledged $100,000 in

funding to co-create and launch the MentorME program with the

BBPA as part of its Canadian commitments to act against anti-

Black racism. In addition to this funding, Starbucks will work with

its employees and other organizations to help them apply to be

mentors for the program.

Great

Egg-spectations

On World Egg Day, celebrated October 9, Egg

Farmers of Canada and chef Lynn Crawford

celebrated the hard-working heroes and champions

in the food sector who help deliver fresh,

local, high-quality eggs to Canadians every day.

To mark the occasion, Egg Farmers of

Canada and Crawford produced a special video

to share their appreciation for those helping

provide local food items for all Canadians. The

Feeding

the Masses

video features egg farmers from across Canada

expressing their gratitude and shining a light

on the many people who have stepped up in

incredible ways in recent months.

Supporting local communities has always been

important to egg farmers and like many other

Canadians, recent events emphasized the importance

of doing what we can to support friends,

neighbours and community members.

CARGILL, FOOD BANKS CANADA RESPOND

TO INCREASE DEMAND FOR FOOD RELIEF

COVID-19 has escalated the urgency to address hunger gaps in communities around

the world as families grapple with the economic impact of the global pandemic.

According to a recent study, one in seven Canadians are affected by food insecurity as

a result of the economic downturn caused by the virus. To help address the increased

demand for food relief, Cargill has stepped up its efforts to ensure Canadians have

food on their tables.

To date in 2020, Cargill has committed $3.5 million to food banks across Canada,

with $2.1 million of the total giving specifically in response to COVID-19 relief efforts.

This equates to eight-million meals distributed from British Columbia to Quebec. In

addition to financial support, the company has donated 364,928 kg of product to local

food banks through partnerships with organizations such as Food Banks Canada.

“Cargill has been a long-time supporter of Food Banks Canada and the entire

food-banking network, supporting not only financially, but with critical product

donations,” sayd Chris Hatch, CEO at Food Banks Canada.

For the last six years, Cargill and Food Banks Canada have worked to provide and

training and resources to local food banks. In the face of the pandemic, the two

organizations have looked for opportunities to reach out further in to the community.


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featuring the latest restaurant and hotel

openings, new product development

and launches, or customized messages,

we’ve got it all covered with an in-depth

portfolio of digital offerings.

Visit foodserviceandhospitality.com or

hoteliermagazine.com for daily news,

exclusive features and digital issues in

their entirety, as well as video clips from

our events. It’s all just a click away

Engaging

Events

Are you interested in networking

opportunities and/or learning

opportunities from those in the know?

Then KML’s events should be on your

to-do list. We offer a range of events, from

our Icons & Innovators’ breakfast series

featuring one-on-one interviews between

KML editor/publisher Rosanna Caira

and the industry’s leading luminaries,

to the renowned and respected Pinnacle

Awards, our Housekeeper’s Forum as well

as the Women in Tourism & Hospitality,

WITH Summit.

(N.B. During COVID, many of these events

have pivoted to virtual events).

E21: Building A

Food Community

featuring Arlene Stein,

founder & executive director

of the Terroir symposium

E22: The Long Haul

featuring Ryan Smolkin,

founder and president

of Smoke’s Poutinerie

E23. Shifting Gears

featuring chef Ted Corrado

E24. Passion Play

featuring Connie de Sousa &

John Jackson, co-chefs & partners

of Char Restaurant Group

E25. Taking Back the Tray

featuring food activist

Joshna Maharaj

E26. Taste of Place

featuring chef Ned Bell

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW!

EPISODES AVAILABLE ON APPLE PODCASTS AND SPOTIFY

November/December 2020

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