When the pandemic lockdowns came into effect, the authorities assured us that the economy would seamlessly recover once the restrictions were lifted, just like hitting the pause button on your DVD player. Well, it seems that increasing numbers of restaurants simply didn’t get that memo.
Over the first 10 days in September, the number of seated diners in the city was down 10 per cent compared to the same period last year. The latest figures from the online reservation service mark a continued decline in the popularity of in-person restaurant dining, with the volume of seated diners in Toronto now below 2022 levels for more than three consecutive months.
And things are taking a turn for the worse in Winnipeg. But that shouldn’t be a surprise.
The head of the union representing workers at Celebrations Dinner Theatre says he’s surprised the theatre decided to close its doors rather than pay employees more than minimum wage.
like the two summer beer strikes of 1975 and 76, it permanently altered our tastes ,,thanks empty hair
“…the authorities assured us that the economy would seamlessly recover…”
Said the professional political class, who by and large have rarely (if ever) worked a real job or run a real business.
The union head could open his own dinner theatre and pay high wages.
I suggest he/she/it invest their own pension and savings to get the dinner theatre going.
What’s the difference between the number of Canadian snowbirds that Winter outside of Canada and the number of Winter tourists that come to Canada from other countries?
I really don’t know what Winter attractions there are in Canada that might bring in enough tourists to offset the number of Snowbirds leaving.
I would think that if Canadian snowbirds have the money to live in a second place for 6 months +/- that they are the ones who still have a bit of money to dine out, even with rising prices.
Now, tourists with the money to visit Canada in the Winter probably have planned on dining out and have the money for it. So that would offset the losses from snowbirds off for the Winter.
I’m not sure where to get both numbers, though I suppose Canada’s bureau of tourism would have the inbound numbers somewhere. I’m just not sure who would be tracking the number of Canadians who skip out on the Canadian Winter Wonderland.
Are the restaurants in deeper doo-doo this coming Winter? If outbound is greater than inbound, I’d say they are.
But, but, surely all those Liberals and NDs who vacation for a week or two down south in the winter, could stay in Canada and patronize local restaurants?
This would be good for liberals sacred cow (climate change) and good for the local economy.
joe: “This would be good for liberals sacred cow (climate change) and good for the local economy.”
Good point. Why would anyone want to go somewhere warmer when the planet is burning up and the oceans are on the verge of boiling? Just think of the money you’d save on air conditioning if you stay in Canada for the Winter.
HR – have “button-hole” relatives who do have a place down south to which they head about this time of year. However, it is my understanding that they maintain a modest lifestyle while there, going out only occasionally and to lower-end restaurants.
We’re in the west; understand there are serious issues in Florida with Quèbeçois who head there for the winter and are generally very poorly regarded by the locals.
They’re not too highly regarded here in the west either.
Snowbirds? 6 months??? Heck, hubby and I are decamping sometime between Nov and Jan for good. Panama, here we come. No coming back and forth. No more Canadian taxes being paid. And no more eating out regularly at an overpriced Canadian eateries. So done with this craziness.
One of the funniest line I heard from a stand up comic was years ago, when I got stuck in Winnipeg in February. It’s just a common line but it got a rise out of the audience. He said: “Anybody here on vacation”?
Pappy Gunn: “He said: “Anybody here on vacation”?”
I think that answers my questions up above, Pappy. Looks like Canadian restaurants are in for a long Winter.
This “snow bird” no longer goes to Florida and restaurants are busy pricing themselves out of business due to government caused inflation.
Thanks to all who provided some input to my questioning above.
The restaurant biz is a tough one. When they are popular, the money is good, and everyone is happy. But their margins are such that even long-established places eventually fold in good times when they start having open tables any time, any day of the week as their regulars find new places to try.
(U.S. here) Yes, we are eating out less often and have moved down a notch on the restaurant scale. The top places were always a special treat, but they are ‘off the table’ now and our big celebrations are at the mid-range places. And we are skipping some of the low-end places for quick dinners so we can still occasionally treat ourselves to those mid-range places.
The interesting thing, and I’m sure that everyone who still makes it out to dinner now and then has noticed, is what restaurants are doing to their menus to hold the line on prices. Drinks are higher to cover slimmer margins on the entrees. Meal combos maybe have sides dropped that used to be included. And there are a lot of things that were just ‘your choice’ but now have an upcharge if you want them instead of the cheaper options they started using. Oh, and portions are smaller. Yes indeedy.
And still, trying to hold the line and keep customers coming through the doors, even the best managers at juggling the menus have raised dinner prices by at least few dollars (and more) and all the strategies the managers come up with aren’t enough when inflation has left nothing extra in your pocket for eating out.
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That dinner theater? I note that the staff said the dinners shows were ‘mostly full’ but the 5 or 6 empty tables were probably the margin that put profit in the owners’ pockets. And you can bet that instead of 2 or 3 cocktails at dinner and/or the better bottle of wine, most tables that were full ordered fewer drinks and the house wine.
Yup. The restaurant game is a tough biz as it is, but now they are competing against the prices of the home kitchen. And the restaurants are losing. People aren’t coming through the doors and the loss of just a few snowbirds might be enough to tip the scales against the restaurants.
An added post pandemic problem for Winnipeg restaurants appears to be a huge increase of “dash & dine” customers. It’s becoming hard for restaurant owners to keep their head above water.
Winnipeggers can rest easy with the knowledge that the Blue Bombers are having a great season.
Now they’re making the real minimum wage. $0
I bet none of the restaurants that catered to Ottatwa elites throughout the lockdowns and that now are suing Freedom Convoy are struggling.
Maybe because less people live in urban areas + going out to eat is more of a luxury than is used to be because of horrible policies and inflation?
And the shitty food. The quality of food has gone down in a lot of restaurants. Go to Tony Roma’s, get a stale/rancind coleslaw. Manager apologises, brings another bowl taken out of the same rancid tub probably made somewhere offshore.
I suspect the guvmint of canaduh will soon declare this report misinformation, disinformation and/or malinformation and demand it’s retraction.
Why none other than our glorious leader declared that after running up enormous debts “the books will balance themselves”. Glorious leader would never lie.
canaduh is broken.
People have got a limited budget for food. Since the cost of eating at home has gone up, and the cost of eating out has gone up, to balance the budget more meals have to be consumed at home.
This, right here.
Eating at restaurants is for rich people. Same with buying your daily coffee at Starbucks or similar.
Not to mention that I eat far better food at home.
The head of the union in Winnipeg just declared himself as fundamentally stupid.
Mask requirements and injection passports. If I went out during peak stupid of C19, it was to a patio. I just stopped going and haven’t gone back. Like when Twitter had their limits dialed up? I just stopped going and haven’t gone back.
If you are a smart person, you decrease your spending during the run-up and during the actual recession. The economy is going to get worse in 2024.
As an aside, a good friend of mine was regaling me with a story about her first-born, a son who is 39 going on 40. He earns $ 120,000/year in something to do with computers (NOT a programmer). He married a Russian emigre last year and his company posted him to Florida’s Gulf Coast for 2 years. So he is there on a work visa, she cannot work. He rented out his 2 bedroom condo in Toronto (otherwise he will not be able to get back on the property ladder). His mortgage is a variable rate, and so now he is underwater each month by $ 2,000.00. He asked my friend, his mother (and I remind you he is 39!) to prepare a budget for him. So she had him send her the last 3 VISA statements. He is spending over $ 600.00/month in beer, wine and liquor stores and he and the Russian “gold-digger”( my friend’s name for her) eat out 3 times a week. So she told him that he has to STOP eating out – maybe go out twice a month and he has to STOP spending money on booze. The Russian wife thought she was marrying a “rich man” – this was her description of her husband.
If you are underwater on your mortgage, you stop all unnecessary spending.