Food, beverage and hospitality businesses in North Bay struggle to find workers
While customers are returning to restaurants and hotels, many business owners in North Bay say their staff is still missing.
"It's next to impossible, to hire," said Clase Eriksson, manager of Casey's Grill Bar in North Bay.
"The candidates are not coming through the door, the responses on the media sites are not there, they're just not coming out … We've had to change our entire way of thinking, our entire mindset, how to roll with the change of the dynamic."
Positions across the board need filling – servers, hosts, chefs and cooks -- and it's affecting how restaurants are operating.
"It affects everything," said Travis Ethier, general manager at Wacky's North Bay.
"It's harder to give the best service we can. When there's not enough staff working the floor and in the kitchen, then your wait times go up.
"It's good because we have a good group of customers who understand the wait times, so we just try our best," Ethier added.
It's also becoming difficult on the staff that is working.
"Our teams are asked to do more hours for no real reward," said Eriksson.
"They are not able to have the lifestyle that they are entitled to because they are trying to meet the demand that hasn't slowed down … Cooks and servers just can't keep up."
Hotels are also feeling the same heat.
"Interviews are being made, but people aren't showing up, hires are being brought in and trained and leaving for the next best role down the street at that hotel," said Cindy Rivest-Vainio, catering and sales manager at Best Western North Bay.
"It's been very challenging. We might have 100 applicants and less than half will show up for an interview."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.