How other Toronto restaurants are bucking the trend
Change is coming to the Canadian culinary scene. On the political side, after a five-year delay, a bill banning employers from skimming the tips of their workers is set to become law in Ontario. And Enoteca Sociale is not the only Toronto restaurant shaking things up to give staff a better quality of life. A look at what some others are trying:
Indian Street Food Co.
Owner Hemant Bhagwani, below, has transformed his Bayview-Eglinton restaurant into a tip-free zone to combat high staff turnover. Instead, a 12-per-cent fee is added to each bill and he chips in 10 per cent of the revenue for a total of 22 per cent, which is then evenly divided among all staff, on top of their wages. “I think it’s going to work,” he said. “Staff at the front and the back of the house seem to be more cordial. They don’t fight anymore.”
Bar Isabel
In early November, the popular College St. restaurant announced it was cutting its weekday hours and closing at midnight so staff could get home earlier. “It’s not because we’re not busy,” said owner Grant van Gameren (seen above), in a video uploaded to YouTube. “It’s not financial. The only reason why we’re doing this is for the quality of life of staff.”
Skin+Bones
The husband-and-wife-run restaurant has been experimenting with a four-day workweek for staff thanks in part to the chef, Luca Gatti, who previously worked at Enoteca Sociale and brought the idea with him. “Our ultimate goal is to have everyone working four shifts a week,” said Daniel Clarke, above, co-owner of the Leslieville restaurant. “But with staffing levels and the amount of services we do, we’re sometimes not able to do that, but it’s something we strive for.”
“There was a time where there were borderline no human rights in kitchens.”
SHAHIR MASSOUD EXECUTIVE CHEF, LEVETTO
Levetto
Shahir Massoud, above, executive chef at the Italian restaurant on College St., spent years working long hours for low pay in New York. “The old guard is kind of changing,” he said. “There was a time where there were borderline no human rights in kitchens.” Levetto pays its staff by the hour and Massoud supports initiatives to improve the lifestyle of staff, but admits changes could come at the risk of higher prices that push away customers who “vote with their chequebooks.”