Welcome to this new edition of Fast Delivery, a summary of the latest news in the world of restoration. Today we are going to take a few moments to return, once again, to the debate surrounding tips in restaurants, we will also welcome the return of buffets, after a long break due to the health crisis, and we will discover together all efforts to promote seafood products.
It was during the spring of 2022 that the debate surrounding restaurant tips began. We thought everything had been said, but it seems not.
Tips
On the one hand, consumers are increasingly asked to tip. It must be said that at the height of the pandemic, Quebecers were generous with restaurant employees, who took risks by showing up for work despite the health situation. Now that sanitary measures have fallen, the cost of food is rising sharply, tips are back to normal, much to the chagrin of employees and their bosses.
Thus, if it was common to leave the equivalent of 15% of the amount of the invoice including sales taxes, restaurateurs have programmed their payment terminals so that it is suggested to leave a rate varying from 18% to 30 %.
Don't forget that there is also an option to manually enter an amount!
Moreover, more and more new companies are now suggesting tipping when paying the bill, via the payment terminal. These companies are usually not found in sectors of activity where it is normal to leave some.
Hence some additional exasperation on the part of consumers.
On the other hand, merchants are always looking for ways to make tipping fairer among their team members. A restaurateur in Quebec has decided to add 2% to the total of the bill, an amount which will then be distributed equally with the employees in the kitchen.
This initiative should also promote employee retention in a context of labor shortages.
Remember that all tips usually go to the employees of the dining room and that they do not have to automatically share it with the colleagues in the kitchen.
Buffet
Now, welcome back to buffet type restaurants! Indeed, they have experienced their share of difficulty with the arrival of COVID and health measures. It must be admitted that it was less interesting to eat in a restaurant and dip into a dish with a utensil that had just been handled a few seconds earlier by a stranger!
But there you go, as we mentioned above, sanitary measures are a thing of the past now and that is why the buffet offers are back. All the same, we remain vigilant about hygiene. To do this, contact with food is minimized, tools are changed regularly, as are plates, dishes are kept at high temperature to prevent the creation and proliferation of bacteria, gloves and disinfectant are available for employees. In addition, wearing a mask is recommended and the configuration of the dining room has been reviewed while keeping a good distance.
Sea products
Finally, the Fourchette Bleue certification is growing and now certifies a total of 78 restaurants that have successfully introduced seafood products from the St. Lawrence River. Thanks to Fourchette bleue, links are created between local fishermen, distributors and gourmet restaurants. All these beautiful people must then respect the guidelines of sustainable development.
The St. Lawrence contains little-known species that can easily be found on our plates.
Remember that only 20% of marine products from the St. Lawrence are used in Quebec, while all the rest is sold internationally. Meanwhile, Quebec restaurants mainly do business abroad for their seafood.
