These inconsistent opening hours have some tourism professionals on the particular island. Terry Smith, CEO of Destination Cape Breton, told CBC’s Mainstreet Cape Breton host Wendy Bergfeldt that the limited restaurant hours are a result of staff shortages and staff housing in communities across the island. He says businesses try to do the best they can with the employees they have. “Sometimes they close for a few days a week. If they offered three meals a day, they might not offer breakfast anymore,” he said. Smith said some workers left the restaurant industry during the pandemic shutdown and are now employed in other sectors, which has left a job gap that needs to be filled. He said Destination Cape Breton, the Cape Breton Partnership and Cape Breton University’s Global Tourism Institute are looking into solutions to the staff shortage and hope to have a plan in place by the fall. “If we can’t deal with it, it’s just going to hurt our reputation as a destination. So we really have to pull out all the stops to find concrete solutions to this,” he said.
Old Believers
Brookside Takeout in Ingonish is open later than other restaurants in the area, which means hungry diners stop by for a late-night meal. (Submitted by Noelle Donovan) But there is one place that is open late at night. The Brookside Takeout window in Ingonish is open seven days a week — a rarity in the area — and carries the brunt of hungry patrons. “No one opens as late as we do,” said Noelle Donovan, who has worked at the window for six seasons. “We’re the old faithful, we’re always there.” Donovan said tourists are very happy when they finally find a place that’s open after dark. Tourism organizations in Cape Breton are concerned that the small restaurant on the Cabot Trail will damage the area’s reputation as a desirable destination. (Destination Cape Breton) “They tell me, ‘Oh, my God, we’re so glad you’re here. Thank you for feeding us,” he laughs. “They’re really happy because there’s nothing—nothing. They said they’re checking everywhere and they can’t believe there’s nothing open in Ingonish.” Donovan said staff shortages have forced restaurants to cut back their hours or close on Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays. That means dozens of people end up at Brookside, looking for food when all the other places are closed. Makes for busy nights. “We can go like three hours straight, say from 6 to 9, non-stop, non-stop, we’re hitting like big time,” Donovan said. He said if other businesses stayed open a little later, it would take pressure off their small staff of four.
A missed opportunity
Dan Coffin, director of tourism for Victoria County, talks to hoteliers who see guests land on their doorsteps and want something to eat.
While diners from larger urban areas may be used to grabbing food at 9 p.m., Coffin said rural businesses don’t have the population to sustain long hours.
Coffin said some restaurants in the Ingonish area work together to alternate which days of the week they close. Instead of everyone closing on Monday, some chose Thursday to close their doors.
“They probably lost a little bit of money, but they decided to open on Tuesday because no one else was open on Tuesday and they wanted visitors to have a choice,” he said.
Coffin said this type of community partnership could be a solution, or creating stations for late-night visitors.
“I think opportunities are being missed in many areas,” he said.
