#POLICY: Introducing a new Dine and Discover Program to encourage Canadians to support our local restaurants, while putting money back in your pocket. pic.twitter.com/nrdj0busCM
— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) September 8, 2021
Conservative politicians are championing the dining in restaurants. We love dining in restaurants. The dining in restaurants during a pandemic is the concern.
Erin O'Toole is the Conservative Party leader in Canada. The country is in the middle of an election cycle with a September 20 election date. [Sidenote: If you want to know more about this Canadian election, you can read about that in our sibling blog, CanadianCrossing.com.]
The restaurant proposal isn't original: this boilerplate was taken from the UK Conservative playbook. A University of Warwick study linked the plan to a significant increase in COVID-19 cases last August in the UK.
The Canadian proposal does note that this will not happen until conditions improve: “once it is safe to do so.” After all, their party has been complaining extensively about why the election is happening now. Let's try and look at this policy from a non-partisan point of view.
The deal would be for customers to purchase food and non-alcoholic drinks for 50% off but only Mondays through Wednesdays. If you got your food to go, you would pay 100%; this policy is to encourage actually dining in the restaurants.
Your humble narrator wasn't able to support as many restaurants during the pandemic because of not being able to dine inside. No car and no bathrooms limit your options. Dining inside right now has very little personal appeal.
Balanceoffood.com Canada food policy coverage
Toronto is Canada's largest city with amazing restaurants. Being a tourist in Toronto, even before the pandemic, means limited restaurant choices on Sundays and Mondays. This is true in Toronto than any other city I have visited as a tourist.
A lot of restaurants have added Tuesdays or Wednesdays to the list of closed days during the pandemic. Not enough workers or not enough customers: either way not much business.
This policy was popular in the UK in increasing traffic to restaurants though maybe a little too popular.
The sad reality is Canada (and the United States) is that dining in is considered part of the entertainment dollar given how low wages are predominant in the vast majority of the populations. People miss eating out and being served.
The idea that the simple joy of eating out has become a political issue is rather sad. Liberals and centrists also like to eat out though they generally has less money to eat out than conservatives do, though a lot of poor people also vote conservative.
Non conservatives want people to eat out when the situations are safer. They are not against eating out; they want a safe environment.
Your humble narrator is only one person who can't afford to eat out much but has done so outside. Canada does get quite cold in the late fall and winter. Eating in will be more tempting. Will customers feel safe doing so, even with a 50% decrease in cost?
BalanceofFood.com politics coverage
Such an offer wouldn't be so bad if this was part of a larger proposal to help restaurant owners and their employees guide them through a terrible pandemic. Alas, this hasn't been true for conservatives. The proposed policy is gimmicky; short-term help when people need longer-term help. The proposal only covers a month: 12 days of discounts. Not a lot, especially for restaurants that have struggled to adjust to carry out, takeaway, and delivery.
Restaurants would have to find more people to stock those days in the hopes that those days would be busy enough to open. Would customers tip on the full value of the meal instead of the actual cost. 50% off is great for the customer, not so much for the worker.
Restaurant wages without tips in North America are literally sub-human, well below the pathetically low minimum wages.
The irony of the offer is you might be tempted to participate at a restaurant that wouldn't be too popular (for social distancing) yet if the proposal works, the restaurant might be too packed for your comfort.
In the UK, the government isn't having an election anytime soon. Canadian voters are going to the polls so you would have to vote in that party to get the deal.
Find a creative way to support restaurants. Wear a comfortable jacket when the weather gets cooler. Beg a friend with a car to pick up your food so the restaurant makes more money on that meal. Dine in a restaurant … when conditions are a lot safer.
Twitter capture: @erinotoole
photo credit: me
Comments