BCRFA Update February 5, 2021

NEW.

1. PROVINCIAL HEALTH ORDERS EXTENDED: In a media event this morning held by the Public Health Office Dr. Henry announced that the current restrictions have been extended and remain in place indefinitely. The PHO officer noted that the province is doing well but the current restrictions will remain in place to continue to monitor through to the end of the month and the goal is that if cases remain as they have been by months end there will be a return of the "safe six," youth sports and places of worship to start. Thus, it is important that everyone continue to follow all current restrictions in order for us to continue to see restrictions relaxed. She has not noted a specific date (she indicated that this was done intentionally) in order for flexibility and ability to change, some restrictions will come off sooner or depending on outcome of cases could be extended longer than the end of month. 
Some reminders:
- You must wear a mask when not at a table. Events are not currently allowed.
- Restaurants, pubs and bars can continue to operate if they have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and employee protocols in place. 
- Remember, a maximum of six people at a table and no moving between tables
- WorkSafeBC will be conducting inspections to verify that COVID-19 Safety Plans remain effective. Establishments that are noncompliant with plan requirements may face orders and fines, and possible referral to public health which may result in a closure order.
- Review the PHO Order - Gathering and Events
- Review the PHO Order – Food and Liquor Serving Premises
-  Events at licensed premises are prohibited, promotion of events are also not allowed, so operators should not be planning any specials to entice people to come their venue on Sunday.  Events are characterized by a combination promoting showing the game to encourage people to come to the premise, selling advance tickets, having an entrance cover charge, door prizes or give-aways, raffles, 50/50 draws, event themed decorations, staff in special costumes, and promoting sales on food and drink associated with the event designed to entice people to come to the event.  Operators should not be doing any of these activities.
-  per the PHO order the volume of TVs needs to be low per the PHO order i.e. “no louder than the volume of normal conversation”.  Turning up the TV to be louder than the conversation in the place is not allowed.
- Steps must be taken to prevent congregation of patrons outside the premises
- Separation of tables or booths of two metres or by physical barriers must be maintained, and patrons or operators must not re-arrange seating for better viewing in a manner that interferes with the physical distancing requirements.  
TO REVIEW THE FULL LIST OF PROVINCE WIDE RESTRICTIONS INCLUDING, MEETINGS AND SOCIAL GATHERING RESTRICTIONS VISIT: PROVINCE WIDE RESTRICTIONS. 

2. SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS GRANTS: On January 26 the BCRFA along with the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation held an information session on applying for the grant. For those that may have missed it please find links here with content shared.
BUSINESS GRANT PRESENTATION
INFORMATION SHEET
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
COVID-19 SUPPORTS FOR NON-PROFITS

3. BC GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NEW GRANT PROGRAM FOR BUSINESSES. From the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. The B.C. government is investing $12 million to help businesses launch or upgrade an online store that will provide the platform they need to increase their sales revenues, become more competitive and grow. Up to 25% of the program funds will be reserved for regional and Indigenous businesses. These grants will provide business owners, including those in hard-hit sectors such as retail, tourism and restaurants, with up to $7,500 to build or improve their online store and promote BuyBC at a local, national and international level. Learn more and apply: E-COMMERCE GRANT

4. ALACRITY CANADA DIGITAL MARKETING BOOTCAMP GRANT. The Alacrity Canada Digital Marketing Bootcamp is a virtual skills-training program that aims to prepare your business for the digital marketplace. This intensive learning program involves daily experiential learning as well as mentorship sessions with marketing experts to help equip you with the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to thrive as a marketer. By the end of this Bootcamp, you will be ready to grow your business with a real understanding of how your work can contribute to and shape the marketing process. Applications are currently being received, you can apply: HERE

5. February FREE Marketing Feature: Shared Plates. February is a month of family celebrations - marked by Valentine's, Family Day and Lunar New Year. To celebrate togetherness in COVID-style, we want to feature your best shared plates for dine-in or take-away.  To have your offer featured, email us (info@bcrfa.com) with your Instagram ready shared plates. Here is what we are looking for:

  • a description of your dish,

  • local products featured (item, producers, processors, farmers),

  • your social media account handles,

  • any hashtags you like to use,

  • suggested local pairings (beer, wine), and

  • a picture or two.

Great news this trend also works for people with a range of tastes as each person can try things that look good to them. One lucky restaurant who submits an entry will receive a gift pack from Russell Hendrix to help them elevate their shared plate game in the future.

6. DoorDash Grant Opportunity Alert - City of Vancouver Restaurants: DoorDash just announced $3000 grants for community-minded local-preneurs to help offset costs associated with the ongoing pandemic. DoorDash is looking for your innovative ideas on how this grant could help you support, adapt and strengthen your business in face of the evolving new-normal. Apply today HERE for #MainStreetStrong Grants. 

Submit your applications before February 17th, 2021. Selected restaurants will be notified by March 1, 2021. Funds will be distributed by early April.

Eligible restaurants must be located within the City of Vancouver, must have 3 stores or fewer currently operating; $3 million CAD or less in 2019 annual revenue per store; and employ 50 people or fewer per store. Restaurants who apply do not have to be current DoorDash partners.

7. ROOM TO LOAD Parking test pilot. Are you a street-side restaurant operator in Vancouver doing a a strong take-out business? Would your business benefit from a city parking spot being converted to a "Room to Load" zone? The BCRFA is working with City of Vancouver Parking Engineering on using curbside parking spaces in order to help operators, customers and third party delivery drivers be safe and avoid unnecessary double parking, illegal stops in laneways or no stopping zones. We are hoping to set up a number of test “Room to Load” zones in front of businesses that have a large number of customers that use pick up and delivery and do not have curbside parking that currently accommodates short term needs.  If a "Room to Load" zone would help your business, please email our program manager, Samantha Scholefield, to see if you could be a test location.

8. UPDATED DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES. The BCRFA has created a number of new guides to help restaurants and employers. You can view and download off of the BCRFA website here: RESOURCES.
New Guides include:
Free December Marketing Feature: Charcuterie
2020 Holiday Idea Book for Restaurants
COVID-19 Restaurant Marketing
Free November Marketing Feature: Winter Warming Soups
The Next Pivot: Preparing to maximize take away this fall/winter
Frequently Asked Questions: Patio Extensions
10 Tips for Successful Expanded Winter Patios
Helping Restaurant Teams Manage Mental Health During COVID-19

9. CALLING FOR NEW MEMBERS! The BCRFA is a member based organization we thank our members for your support and invite those of you who are not members toLEARN MORE and join our association. SIGN ME UP. 

Questions about your membership? Send us an email HERE

REMINDERS.
1. CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS: 
Food and Liquor Serving Premises. View order: HERE
Gatherings and Events. View order: HERE

2. Gatherings and Events Public Health Order: All in-person events and community-based gatherings as defined in the PHO order – Gatherings and Events (PDF) are suspended, with the exception of weddings, funerals, baptisms, support group meetings and business meetings, this order has been extended until February 5, 2021. 

3. SAVE THE DATE: BCRFA Annual General Meeting. Provincial BCRFA Annual General Meeting on March 8, 2021 at 10am. Meeting will be held virtually, a future announcement will be sent out to register. 

4. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE: Our office is receiving several calls and emails every day from British Columbian's sharing their experiences in restaurants commenting on how they did not feel safe. Now more than ever we encourage you to sign up for the Consumer Confidence campaign if you have not yet registered your restaurant, consumers are starting to look for the poster in restaurants. It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up. Learn more and register here: RESTORING CONFIDENCE

5. Rent Subsidy: Applications are open for the NEW Federal rent subsidy (this replaces the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program).  Canadian businesses, non-profit organizations, or charities who have seen a drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for a subsidy to cover part of their commercial rent or property expenses, starting on September 27, 2020, until June 2021. This subsidy will provide payments directly to qualifying renters and property owners, without requiring the participation of landlords. To learn more about this program and apply visit: Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy

6. MANUAL: BEST HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THE BC FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY. Successful management of our Human Resources - our team, our employees - is the core of every restaurant. BCRFA is here to help you succeed in all aspects of your business. Your employees cost you 30-35% of your monthly operating expenses. When replacing an employee who has quit or you have had to terminate can cost thousands of dollars, good Human Resources management is a vital part of a restaurant's ability to succeed. This manual is broken down into 19 sections, each tackling unique areas of managing people. BCRFA members can now access and download this in our members area. If you would like to receive a printed copy of the manual we can print and ship for $25. If you would like to order a hard copy or are not a current BCRFA member and would like this valuable resource please contact our membership team: MEMBERSHIP

7. Wholesale pricing. Ensure you have set up your account to access this pricing model here:REGISTER. Registered users should download the current catalogue for wholesale pricing. Download here: CATALOGUE 

8. Food Delivery Service Fees are capped:  As per the Emergency Program Act (EPA) order, effective December 27, 2020, food delivery services providers can only charge restaurants a fee up to 15% of the customer's order (before tax) for delivery services, and 5% for other related services. This order also prohibits food delivery service providers from reducing compensation to drivers or retaining drivers' tips. The LCRB will be managing enforcement of this order. For further information on complaints and how to submit a complaint about a food delivery services provider that is not following the new EPA order, you can visit this LCRB webpage. It’s important to note that the complaint process is only for businesses and establishments that serve food and/or liquor and delivery drivers to submit a complaint about a large food delivery services provider (those that provide services to 500 or more restaurants in B.C.) 

9. SYSCO FoodiesUnite: What is FoodiesUnite? Restaurants are invited to take part in this program taking place January 4-February 22, 2021. Foodies Unite is all about supporting local restaurants and making a positive impact on the industry as a whole.  Sysco’s primary goal is to help restaurants by encouraging Canadians to dine in, order take away or delivery and share your meal experience on social networks using the #FoodiesUnite in support of the Canadian Foodservice Industry.  A full FAQ and details are HERE. For a list of participants confirmed to date view online HERE.

10. Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant. Applications are now being accepted. More information on the grant here: RECOVERY GRANT
Applications now available: APPLY HERE

11. MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENTS. We have now implemented a monthly membership payment option to help you with your monthly budgeting. This new option allows you to spread your memberships into 12 monthly payments instead of paying on your anniversary date. If you have an outstanding invoice and would like to pay using our monthly payment program please contact accounting@bcrfa.com. We have frozen membership fees for the current period, membership invoices are distributed on a monthly basis, if you have received an invoice please pay promptly

BCRFA IN THE NEWS.

Restaurants and our industry continue to be a popular topic with all media outlets. Here are a few articles that have been distributed this week where Ian Tostenson, CEO/President of the BCRFA has been asked to comment.

BCRFA COVID-19 UpdateAleah Chaytor