Although filling positions remains a significant issue, the service sector continues to show strong numbers, and one group in particular has shown consistent growth in the Vancouver market.
If you live in the Metro Vancouver area, it is likely you have been to one of Joseph Richard Group’s (JRG) venues.
Established in 2010, JRG has become one of the most formidable competitors in the restaurant and pub space in the province. In fact, it is the top restaurant and pub operator in the region, and it is continuing expansion at a steady rate.
“It has been exciting to say the least.… It has been definitely a lot of work and everyone put in a lot of hours, but it has been great,” said Ryan Moreno, one-half of the co-founders of JRG.
Moreno and longtime partner André Bourque have been expanding the JRG brand into various ventures for the past five years, but there is one new avenue the company is particularly excited to announce.
“We signed a deal with Simon Fraser University; we have been working a lot with the university on the things that they want in terms of student experience, faculty experience, and just things they are offering on the campus that they felt that they didn’t have,” said Moreno.
“We are always looking to explore different verticals.… We will be doing a public house and an arcade concept at the university where the Highland Pub was.”
The Highland Pub was the main watering hole for students to congregate between commitments but has now shuttered. The campus has always faced unique business challenges given its location atop Burnaby Mountain and the seasonal constraints of student attendance.
Other accomplishments pushing company growth include the Italian restaurant that had been on the radar for some time, which is now open. JRG’s Asian concept is poised to open later this year, and the company has been developing its own private-label beer and wine venture, as well as expanding on its catering division, called Blank Canvas Catering.
Blank Canvas recently hosted a fundraiser on the pier in White Rock that raised over $60,000 for Peace Arch Hospital. According to Moreno, taking on events and initiatives that are outside the box, as well as unique partnerships, is what is propelling the brand to new heights and outwitting competitors.
However, the dilemma within the industry does resound with a similar rhetoric. While JRG may be one of the fastest-growing companies in B.C., the main vexation in the sector remains the same.
“People – finding enough or having enough people to put in place at these different locations,” said Moreno.
“If that’s our weakness, people, that’s what we have to address.… If we can nail that, then the expansion could go quicker.”
In order to combat the issue, JRG has created numerous training programs in culinary skills, hospitality and more in order to beef up existing staff and effectively on-board new staff.
In a recent interview with Business in Vancouver, Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association, admitted these struggles are felt provincewide.
“We have a significant labour shortage in our industry, particularly in our kitchens, with no solutions,” said Tostenson. “We could probably use about 14,000 workers in the restaurant industry throughout British Columbia; that’s on average just over one position per business.”
Tostenson, along with Daniel Frankel, founder and CEO of Tap & Barrel Restaurants, has been in discussions with various branches of government to establish immigration programs with different countries in order to build out the industry here.
One specific area where they are looking is El Salvador, which is known for having strong hospitality training programs and a large population of workers looking for employment who have previously been deported from the United States.
Whether JRG will join the initiative is unclear; however, Moreno knows that one of the pieces that make up the industry is the quality of its people, and the programs crafted by the company will help new workers enter the industry.
“The calibre of individuals that we are looking for to be able to deliver the brand experience that we want our guests to have, that has always been a challenge. But, at the same time, the thing that makes you weak is the thing that makes you strong.
“If we create the best experience for our team, they will in turn create a great experience for our guests.”
