“WE HAVEN’T SOLD THIS MUCH HIGH-END WINE IN A LONG TIME”
Restaurateur CHARLES KHABOUTH reopened his night spots and hired 450 people
“IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS of the pandemic, Ink Entertainment, the company I’d built from the ground up, came to a complete standstill. We laid off 98 per cent of our 2,000-person staff across our 18 Toronto clubs and restaurants. It was probably the most exhausting day I’ve ever had in my life. That night, I had a few of my senior staff over for dinner at my apartment. It felt like the last supper.
“For us, like everyone else in the service industry, the last 16 months have been challenging. Multiple times, we were told we could reopen, only to shut down within weeks. At Cabana Pool Bar and Rebel, we spent nearly $300,000 on a tent that seats up to 500 people. We heated it. We put in carpeting. We had an artist do an installation. It took us six weeks to put this thing up, and after two weeks of having it open, the rules changed and we had to shut down again. It hurt financially, but more than that, it hurt morale.
“In June of 2021, when we were finally told we could open patios—for good, we hope— it was a joyous moment. At one restaurant, staff who came in for their first day were hugging, and I was in the background yelling, ‘No hugging! No hugging!’ But people are just so happy.
“Between now and the end of the year, we’ve booked more parties than ever before. We get around 10 inquiries a day for events. People take any excuse to celebrate these days. A couple of weeks ago, I walked onto the patio at Sofia—one of our bigger spots— and saw a line snaking around the block. It looked like a concert. The weather was warm and beautiful. Four or five people were celebrating birthdays or engagements. My sommelier told me she hadn’t sold this much high-end wine in a long, long time. It seemed like people were eating, drinking and spending more. Everywhere I turned, there was lobster, caviar and steak. I’m sure it’ll level off eventually, but right now, every night feels like a party.
“It’ll take a couple of weeks to find staff for our nightclubs. Hiring is a huge problem in the hospitality business right now. I have friends in Miami giving new staff a $400 signing bonus. It’s so competitive. At our restaurants, we’ve been able to bring back about half our staff and train enough new hires to make up the difference. We’ve hired about 450 people at this point, including new people.
“I’m thinking positively for the first time in so long. Of course, it feels good to make money, but beyond that, it’s amazing to just be in restaurants with people again.”