COVID-19 restrictions have hit the food industry hard and many business owners are worried they won’t be able to recover without additional support.
“From what we are looking at it will be at least a month before we can open in any way, and then it will be with pretty limiting restrictions for a long time to come,” said Luc Erjavec, Restaurants Canada Vice President, Atlantic Canada.
Restaurants Canada represents owners and operators of restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels that serve food and beverages equaling 35,000 establishments across Canada and 22,000 in Nova Scotia.
The food services industry was the largest private sector employer in the province before the pandemic said Erjavec.
“We are located in almost every community so we play a very important role. We have just been devastated by the coronavirus and have seen our sales drop in the 80 per cent range and have had to lay off 24,500 people,” he said.
10 per cent of those surveyed said they have closed down permanently and a large number have indicated that if they don’t get additional help they won’t make it.
Programs introduced both provincially and federally have helped but some like the wage subsidy program are slated to end in June.
“Many businesses are not open yet or are trying to open and will need programs to continue through recovery,” said Erjavec.
Restaurants Canada is currently working with both levels of government to seek additional support for the recovery phase.
Waves Seafood & Grill in Bridgewater is still offering take-out and a restaurant spokesperson has said they are grateful for the community support but they are concerned about what the future holds.
“Everything we have done, the community has embraced. Our worry is if we don’t have a summer we aren’t going to make it through the winter, and not just for us, but the industry,” they said.
