TORONTO — The majority of Canadian restaurant operators expect to maintain or increase their staffing levels, according to the Restaurant Outlook Survey, for Q4, 2012, and released today by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA).
The survey shows 62 per cent of operators plan to maintain steady employment levels for the next six months, while 16 per cent expect to hire more employees. “Clearly our members had cause for concern given the economic uncertainty late last year,” said Garth Whyte, president and CEO, CRFA. “On the bright side, the U.S. has averted its fiscal-cliff crisis, which means consumer confidence should be improving.”
Although, food and labour costs are still challenges affecting operators, food costs seem to be less problematic with 64 per cent of respondents in Q4 being concerned (compared to 74 per cent in Q3).
Other survey statistics show: 26 per cent of respondents reported weak customer demand, 23 per cent were affected by bad weather (up from 12 per cent in Q3), 27 per cent were impacted by rising gas prices (down from 35 per cent in Q3) and 17 per cent were hurt by the NHL Lockout.
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