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 

To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com 

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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 

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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 

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And just like the culinary industry, Canadian egg 

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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 

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for local fare and his community didn’t stop 

there. “Despite a difficult year, I was fortunate 

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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 

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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, 

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Egg Farmers of Canada is proud to be a part 

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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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 

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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 


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. 

50 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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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out everything you need to 

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in the foodservice and 

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sign up for FREE, please visit 

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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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Whether you’re looking for daily web 

exclusives, daily news delivered digitally, 

or special, dedicated newsletters 

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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