French brasserie Chez Jules in Quebec City is temporarily closing the doors of its establishment, hit hard by a labor shortage that is forcing many entrepreneurs to make tough decisions.
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In a message posted on Facebook, owner Michel Torre indicated that he had to take a step back “to find a staff specialized in cooking and service to adapt to the new market and its new needs”. .
Within 24 hours of the announcement of this temporary closure, Mme Torre said he was too “shocked” to speak to the media. However, she agreed in a brief exchange Newspaper, It hopes the influx of foreign workers will be eased quickly, allowing it to reopen its doors in three weeks.
Take your time
Alexandra Vachon, General Manager of the Coillard Group – and its Mme Torrey the owner – pointed out that this decision was necessary. Lack of staff forced management members to stay on the ground. So administrative work has been pushed back.
“Me, my job, I haven’t done it for a long time,” M arguesme Vachon says the rush to fill positions is not an ideal situation. “It puts people to work very quickly,” he continues.
None of the employees present at the time of closing were laid off. All will help maintain the standard the restaurant is known for. “We’re going to take time off, which we haven’t done in a while,” said Mme Vachon.
Importantly, immigration
Surprisingly, M.me Vachon insists that immigration is key to the restaurant’s recovery and that current administrative procedures should be done quickly.
“That’s what saves us in the kitchen,” he insists. There, these are very long delays and very offensive. »
Martin Vezina, vice-president of public and government affairs at Association Restoration Quebec, was not surprised by the closure. ” [Les propriétaires] We no longer want to continue on this train to compensate all the missing employees,” he argues.
He also reiterates the demand to ease the use of foreign workers.
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