Your favorite restaurant could close for good!

According to Restaurants Canada, if government subsidies for rent and wages are cut starting July 4, as planned by the government, most restaurants will find it very difficult to pay their staff and vendors. And then at least half of the eateries will have to consider closing if the situation doesn't change.

Regular restaurant customers, industry professionals and suppliers are calling on the federal government to keep the current level of support for catering businesses at the same level. After all, the restaurant business is one area of the economy that is still forced to exist under current restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working together as part of the "Coalition for Restaurant Survival", they are demanding the government repeal the planned phase-out of rent and wage subsidies for restaurant businesses. This measure remains the most important one that Restaurants Canada is promoting as part of a much-needed package of support for restaurant businesses.

"Even with most provinces already phasing out of quarantine, restaurants across the country will be operating with limited capacity for the next few months," said Restaurants Canada president and CEO Todd Barclay. — Most restaurants lost revenue every day of the pandemic, and it will take at least another year before they manage to return to some semblance of normalcy. Half of our industry will face the risk of closure if government support stops too soon."

Save Canada's restaurants together!

According to a survey by Restaurants Canada, 8 out of 10 restaurants across the country have been operating at a loss to themselves or almost none throughout the pandemic, and 45% of caterers have been steadily losing revenue for more than a year. If rent and wage subsidies are cut starting July 4, many restaurateurs will have to consider saying goodbye to their favorite business forever. However, such a bleak future not only can, but must be fought.

Conscious Canadians are not sitting idly by, but are already calling on their elected officials to help local eating establishments in any way they can. Already, hundreds of messages demanding immediate changes to government support plans have been sent to MPs across the country, including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Anyone who wants to join the Coalition for Restaurant Survival can help save local food service businesses. You can also go to the website SupportRestaurants.ca and send your message in support of your favorite restaurant.

What do the support messages say?

Here are just a few excerpts from the many posts that have already arrived on the site:

1. "So far we have managed to survive, but with the latest setback and still half our workload due to social distancing... we need wage subsidies and rent subsidies over the summer to help us survive. Instead of paying off previous debts, I've added new ones. And that's a big burden for the future," Saskia Geerts, owner of the Sydney Street Pub, Digby, Nova Scotia.

2. "The Lower Deck has been our family business since 1974 and the pandemic has had a major impact. The downturn in the tourism sector combined with the cancellation of cruise ship visits for two consecutive summer seasons has had a very devastating effect on us," Mike Condie, owner/operator, The Lower Deck, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

3. "This restaurant is now 11 years old. We're a neighbourhood pub with lots of regulars who have helped us survive in difficult times, but it's not enough. If we close, our customers will lose their second home, the staff will lose their jobs, and I will lose my business that I have invested so much in," Zoe Dassios, owner, Chicago Pub & Billiards, Kitchener, Ontario.

4. "We have been part of the Yonge & Dundas community for 30 years, succeeding generations of staff and clients. The subsidies have allowed us to keep going during the pandemic, but we need at least 70% of our previous workload to stay afloat. Subsidies need to continue until it's possible," Alan Liu, managing director, Salad King, Toronto, Ontario.

5. "I've been doing this all my life, it's my retirement. I've been giving work to students and many other people for over 40 years," Steve Kandilakis, president/owner of Steve's Bistro, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

6. "Wage and rent subsidies are what keep many afloat in these treacherous waters. Please do what you can to keep us from drowning!" — Sharon Stares, owner of Gina's Mexican Café, Nanaimo, B.C.

Synopsis:

The Restaurant Association of Canada is a national non-profit organization developing the capacity of Canada's diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through membership programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada's foodservice sector was a $95 billion CAD industry that directly employed 1.2 million people. The food service system was Canada's most important employer, serving 22 million customers across the country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs and suffered multi-billion dollar losses.