Restaurants Canada continues to raise ongoing issues should the LCBO strike continue long-term

Kelly Higginson, President & CEO of Restaurants Canada, along with Richard Alexander, Executive Vice President, Government Relations & Public Affairs, had an informative meeting yesterday with the CEO and Senior Management of the LCBO along with Drinks Ontario, Sprits Canada and the Tourism Association of Ontario, who Restaurants Canada brought in to amplify their voice.   

Restaurants Canada continues to raise the ongoing issues with ordering, product availability delivery and concerns around supply, should the strike continue for the longer term.   

A recurring weekly meeting with the CEO and Senior Management has been established moving forward. This will help highlight the challenges being experienced by Restaurants Canada’s members and the foodservice industry, as well as provide examples and push for solutions.  

The Government and LCBO have affirmed that they are allocating their limited resources toward ensuring restaurants and bars are the top priority.  Their recent decision to move forward with the opening of 30 stores for licensees and not the public, means their resources are being focused on the foodservice sector and means that access to a greater supply and wider range of inventory is granted.    

Regarding the online ordering system, Restaurants Canada understands that although orders are generally successfully going through some are still experiencing specific challenges.  These concerns have been raised with the LCBO, who contend that the process and system of fulfillment is improving and seeing increasing orders being fulfilled. There will be approximately 2000 orders fulfilled by Monday, July 22. They also contend that the product is delivered on average in 2 – 3 days but in some regions it may take longer.   

LCBO stated they have sufficient product and variety for now as they increased inventory before the strike. Out-of-stock items ordered on the website are due to their primary challenge of moving stock to fulfillment areas. Those items will eventually (hours or days) become available at that fulfillment location.   

If the product is not showing as in stock, there is a button at the bottom of the online ordering portal to check other locations. See the video tutorial here.   

The LCBO recommends that licensees utilize all options to access products including online ordering and the trillium supply chain.  

The union and government are back at the negotiating table.  Although this is positive, Restaurants Canada is still advocating for an LCBO contingency should the strike go long and will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.