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B.C. spending $380,000 to help restaurants improve workplace culture, attract and retain workers

British Columbia is spending $380,000 on a two-year pilot project to provide better support to workers and small- and medium-sized businesses in the restaurant industry.

It is partnering with Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. to improve workplace culture and attract and retain workers in the sector.

“Through this partnership, we are working to strengthen the restaurant industry, which has been struggling since the pandemic,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “The innovative ideas that come from this pilot project will give employers and workers the tools they need to thrive in the growing restaurant industry in the province.”

Launched in 2023, the Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. is engaging restaurants across the province.

“Chefs’ Table Society has long positioned itself as the advocate of the people that make restaurants great,” said Shawna Gardham, executive director at Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. “We believe in engaging people, so they have meaningful careers and build valuable connections with their peers. This project allows us to take our commitment to industry workers one step further by working with operators to create custom action plans that will reinvigorate each participating restaurant’s workplace culture through a people-first lens.”

The pilot project, called Restaurant Culture Shift: Pathways to Successful Teams and Sustainable Careers, will develop individual action plans to improve workplace cultures, and attract, recruit, and retain the skilled talent restaurants need to thrive and grow.

The Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. will also develop an online guide available to all restaurants across the province on recommendations to improve workplace culture, provide successful solutions and offer a diagnostic tool that restaurants can use independently to assess and improve their workplace culture.

Following the pilot project, the Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. will conduct an evaluation with participating restaurants to inform future program opportunities to further support British Columbia’s small and medium-sized restaurant industry.