Spin, Replace, Repeat: The Restaurant Industry’s Accountability Crisis.

Nicholas Grant

All names in this article are changed to protect the identity of those involved

Olivia was a general manager of a popular GTA chain restaurant when she alerted corporate human resources about something disturbing she had discovered: A 16-year-old hostess in the restaurant where she worked had allegedly been followed home one night by another manager at the restaurant and assaulted.

“I was told by HR: ‘If we can keep this between us, you can expect a bonus at the end of the year'”

Olivia had gone to HR first to ensure legal compliance. But they failed her.

“I was told by HR: ‘If we can keep this between us, you can expect a bonus at the end of the year,’” she said they told her. “’If you can’t keep it between us, I would start looking for other options.’”

Having reported previous incidents of harassment with this particular manager to HR —ones that seemed to go unaddressed — Olivia decided to take the matter to the top: the CEO of the company.

The top executive told her the same thing: Keep quiet, get rewarded.

“‘Nothing will change,’” she said the CEO told her. “And that this wasn’t going to help anyone involved.”

Sexual misconduct is rampant in the restaurant industry. According to a 2023 report from Western University, around 57 per cent of restaurant workers experienced some form of sexual harassment in the previous two years, with 25 percent having experienced multiple forms of sexual harassment.

For many, reaching out for help within the company structure has been futile. A decade later — even after the high profile ‘Me Too’ movement, which heralded a society-wide effort to expose and end sexual harassment in the workplace — the hospitality industry appears to have failed to address this pervasive issue.

Instead it appears to have fostered a culture that condones, silences and punishes the people that speak up about it.

 

An overwhelming majority of restaurant servers work part-time hours. Many are students. The precariously employed don’t feel the same kinds of protections that full time workers in other industries enjoy. These gaps can be exploited by many in positions of power to harass. They can threaten livelihood, and even termination without cause.

Emma, an industry veteran and kitchen manager, elaborated on some of the ways employers can retaliate against workers who push back when harassed.

“If they can’t outright let you go, then they might just make it so that the workplace isn’t a friendly environment, putting you in a position where you want to leave,” said Emma.

Penalties can include cutting shifts or relegating a perceived troublemakers to work at undesirable times. Some managers retaliate through bullying: gossiping or spreading lies among staff.

A study done by Western University in 2023 found that, 70 per c

ent of workers who experienced sexual harassment and violence, missed work because of the negative impacts. A full 88 percent were “transferred, suspended, fired or lost a shift” due to the harassment and violence.

Most who reported said nothing changed, and one in four said reporting it made it worse.

“Later that same day,” she recalls, “they let me go and said it was performance-based.”

 

Emma shared more of her experiences. When she was a young line cook, the chef of the kitchen often made unwanted sexual comments, making her feel uncomfortable.

“At the time I was young, and eager, I didn’t want to rock the boat,” said Emma.

She kept silent. One day however it escalated: She alleges that the chef got physical with her and grabbed her when they were alone. She went and reported it to their superiors.

“Later that same day,” she recalls, “they let me go and said it was performance-based.”

Abby has worked several jobs in hospitality.

In a previous job, she reported an incident of sexual harassment. In this case, it was handled swiftly and the harasser was sent home immediately and suspended.

At Abby’s next job, she wasn’t as fortunate; one of her managers had a habit of harassing her and her coworkers.

“He would flick us, he would pinch us, he would draw on us and say the most vile things about women, and about us,” said Abby.

She and a coworker went above his head to see the offender disciplined.

“‘Why would he do that? Why would that happen?’ was management’s response, and nothing was done about it,” said Abby.

The hospitality industry features a transient work force. Turnover is high. According to Tourism HR Canada, restaurants average between 75, and 120 per cent turnover rates. Comparing that to the average national turnover rate in 2021, which was 21 percent

Olivia, who also worked as a regional manager in the industry, elaborated on this issue.

“There is an extreme demand for managers,” she says. “Even if they had an instance that was unfavourable, they will probably still get hired somewhere else.”

The industry in Ontario is also fairly tight-knit, Olivia says. Management will often shield managers by relocating them rather than terminating.

“We all know each other pretty well,” she says. Managers often change jobs and work at many different restaurants.

“We needed to do a round of hiring, the district manager came to me and he said ‘I want only head shots of the servers, and they can’t be of Middle Eastern or South Asian origin,’”

That didn’t sit right with Olivia. Once again, as she often did, she took her concerns to higher up management.

“He was promptly let go, and then rehired at a different store,” she says.

Olivia’s experiences with problematic behaviour sometimes crosses into outright corruption.

She remembers a manager who pilfered tips.

“Don’t be complicit, don’t be compliant, don’t just sit there,” Emma said.

 

“He was stealing all of the tip out money, over the course of two years, he stole $90,000 dollars,” she says. “They fired him from that store and moved him to a Muskoka store.”

According to the Hospitality Workers training center in 2024, women only make up 33 percent of management positions in the restaurant sector, and only 19 percent of chefs and head cooks.

This data says a lot about the industry, and offers some insights into the problem, “Maybe there should be more female management, and we wouldn’t notice this as much. I feel like it’s still gonna happen unfortunately, but when the men are in a position of power. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard as a young girl to stand up to them” Emma said. 

If there is progress being made, it’s managers like Emma that will be the driving force for change.

“I try to make it a pleasant environment for my employees, because I don’t want them to have the same experience as I had,” she says. “All we can really do is move forward and try to be better.”

She has some advice for workers who want to remake the industry in a place that’s safe for all.

“Don’t be complicit, don’t be compliant, don’t just sit there,” Emma said.