Working at a chain restaurant has been less worrisome compared to experiences at locally owned restaurants.
Multimedia by Sarah Tomlinson
By Julianna Murray
Waitresses at independent restaurants have faced greater job insecurity due to the pandemic, suggest Manitoba and Ontario servers.
Toronto waitress Natalie Coluccio has had her hours cut in half since the closures in March. Coluccio has worked for five years at Dundas Street Grille in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto.
“How you would look at an animal before putting it down is kind of how some customers look at us…. We are a small restaurant, and it’s not hugely financially backed up by a big corporation.”
Coluccio said that every worker gets about two shifts a week, which can last for around six hours on a good day. Some days, they close so early that shifts only last two or three hours. Coluccio said that she doesn’t feel a sense of job security because Dundas Street Grille is a smaller, locally owned business. According to Coluccio, a successful night brings in a similar amount of money for the restaurant that a slow day would before the pandemic.
Coluccio said that her only saving grace is that she makes under 1000 dollars a month, and is therefore eligible for emergency response benefits.
On the bright side, Coluccio has seen customers stick it out through the cold to support the restaurant. While patios are the only option for dining out, some faithful customers are bundling up to eat outside.
“People want to feel a sense of normality… so if they have that option of eating on a patio, even if they’re freezing their ass off, they’ll come.”
Restaurants within hotels facing extra barriers
Meanwhile in Brandon, Man., a waitress was laid off from March until October.
Mercedes Highway has been waitressing at Echo, a restaurant in a Brandon hotel, since January 2016. Like Coluccio, she was eligible for emergency response benefits when she lost her job in March.
Echo has faced even more challenges than most independent restaurants since it is located within a hotel.
“If the hotel is busy, [the restaurant is] gonna get busy. With no one really going to hotels or travelling, you notice a huge difference.”
More confidence in chain restaurants
Back in Toronto, a waitress at a chain restaurant is less concerned about her workplace closing its doors.
Kathleen, a waitress at the Toronto location of the Cactus Club Cafe, has more concerns about not knowing how the government will change restrictions.
Kathleen has made it so far without applying for emergency relief benefits, but will soon be joining many waitresses like her in doing so.
Interactive: new restaurants that popped up during the pandemic
While many Toronto businesses have been struggling since COVID-19 came to Canada, below are some local restaurants that went against the grain and opened their doors during the pandemic, creating much needed job opportunities.
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