Quebec restaurant staff make more, work less than other Canadian provinces

Beer taps continue to flow and staff in the Quebec industry continue to make more than other Canadians doing the same job.

Quebec restaurant employees are earning a higher wage and working fewer hours than the servers, dishwashers and bartenders in other Canadian provinces.

A report from the Quebec Restaurant Association (ARQ) says that restaurant industry employees in the province make an average of $25.70 per hour, which is $1.11 more than the Canadian average.

It's a reverse of the numbers from 2013 (when it was $16.25/hour) to 2020 ($22.80), where Quebec's average wage was below the national average.

At the same time, Quebecers in the industry are working fewer hours. Since 2020, Quebecers have worked fewer hours than other Canadians doing the same job.

In 2023, Quebec restaurant staff worked an average of 1,263 per year, while other Canadians worked 1,354, according to the ARQ, which represents around 5,300 establishments in the province.

Three-day work week

Avant Garde co-founder Renaud Gouin said the numbers make sense.

The bru-pub co-owner said that during the pandemic, many employees changed industries, leading to a massive labour shortage in 2020-2021 after restaurants reopened.

Restaurant management, thus, needed to attract staff with higher wages and better tip options, particularly for kitchen staff.

"What has happened, is the hourly rate stayed up, people don't work for cheap in the kitchen anymore, but the hours have gone down," said Gouin.

He said restaurants are seeing declining revenue with higher costs, and, to tighten belts and reduce costs, shifts are cut.

"Everyone is trying to somehow cut the hours and make it more efficient," he said.

This, however, is not a negative thing for many workers, Gouin said, as workers often prefer a 30-35 hour work week in three or four days than working 40 hours over five days. Plus, many of the shifts are at night.

"The way I've seen it here is sometimes people like to come in for three or four days and make about the same money," he said. "Yes, maybe a little more rushed, but to have three to four days of weekend is something that's attractive to them."

Revenue down but numbers stable

Inflation, as with everything else, has taken its toll on the restaurant industry, but Quebec has weathered the storm quite well, according to the ARQ.

Revenues did decline in the industry by $254 million between 2023 and 2024, the ARQ says, but people are still going out. The ARQ numbers say Quebec households have spent just $46 less (from $2,004.01 to $1,957.66) on average since last year.

ARQ vice president Martin Vezina said owners and managers have had to pool orders with other restaurants, change menu items, reduce portion sizes and other innovations to reduce costs without increasing prices for customers.

"With this cost cutting, we won't have to play with the prices or increase the prices," he said. "Some also are thinking about their portion,

and then maybe they say, 'Yeah, I've seen many plates return with many food on them, so maybe we put too much food on the plate, so maybe reduce the portions.' It will cost us less, but we won't play with the price."

Tipflation

Gouin admitted that restaurants asking for more and more tips is a way to increase salaries without the business paying for it.

"I think there's a limit to this trend, and some people might be frustrated to be asked, "The first tip is 20 per cent, and then it's 25 or 30 per cent? Thirty per cent is huge... It's asking a lot for people who have very little revenue to spend."

Vezina said most owners have told the ARQ that serving staff ask to increases to the tip suggestions because they have seen it higher in other establishments. Managers and owners comply, he said, to keep staff.

"There's something on tips we need to understand: the owner doesn't do anything on that, and it costs more for an owner, when a customer gives more tips because he needs to pay the credit card fees on those tips, and because of the labour laws in Quebec, owners pay the tips on behalf the customers on holidays, and on sick days," he said.