Are restaurants vectors of viruses? Read our summary of an American study on the subject! Also, our Quick Delivery offers you a presentation of the new owner of Lester's Deli restaurant and a new concept in development at McDonald's.
First, an American study reveals that sick employees are responsible for 40% of outbreaks of infectious diseases linked to restaurants.
In Quebec, specific data on this subject is not available, but the pandemic has prompted reflection on how to prevent such situations. In 2014, there were 2,400 reports to MAPAQ for food poisoning, but there is no data on the state of health of the employees of the establishments targeted by these investigations. Some establishments in Quebec are proactive in including questions on employee health management in internal health inspections.
The introduction of paid sick leave was associated with a reduction in sick working employees in a US study. The study highlights five symptoms that should cause a restaurant employee to miss work, but only 23% of restaurants mention these symptoms in their employee work policies.
Then, the famous Lester's Deli, a must-visit smoked-meat address in Montreal, was sold to the new owner, Kevin Fung, who plans to carry on the restaurant's tradition while adding his personal touch. Fung, mainly involved in Asian cuisine, sees smoked meat as a unique opportunity and wants to grow the establishment and even export it. The restaurant's recipes and identity will be retained, but Fung also plans to add new options, such as an organic smoked meat without sodium nitrite. This sale comes after the recent closure of two other smoked meat establishments in Montreal, the Main Deli and Les produits du Québec Smoked Meat.
Eventually, McDonald's announced plans to create a spin-off chain of small restaurants called CosMc's in 2024.
CosMc is a yellow-colored half-robot alien who appeared in McDonald's advertisements in the 1980s.
The CosMc's concept will be a small restaurant format with the DNA of McDonald's, but with its own personality. McDonald's plans to open smaller restaurants, which won't need a large area for on-site dining, in response to the growing popularity of delivery. This new approach to the market will also allow McDonald's to seize development opportunities in underdeveloped places in the United States. It is not yet known if CosMc's branches will open in Canada.
