At the Gaslight Café in Sydney, N.S., business is picking up, but with costs increasing, the owners don't have enough money to hire extra staff.
“Yeah, it’s been very difficult. We cut a lot of hours back for our staff, so we have taken on more of working in house on top of everything else that goes along with running a small business,” said co-owner of the Gaslight Café Bryden Mombourquette.
He says the pandemic proved difficult, and nearly shut his business down in March.
Now, they're trying to overcome another obstacle, with prices soaring.
“When we had such a rough winter this year, and trying to get that momentum back going into the summer, we're really feeling behind at the moment because everything has increased in price. Its gas, our deliveries, grocery prices, everything across the board has gone up,” said Mombourquette.
For the owner of the Doryman Pub and Wabo's pizza in Cheticamp, the issue is staffing.
Servers, bartenders and hosts are needed, but difficult to find.
“Some of the jobs have been posted since last winter and there's just nobody applying. I've added benefits and things like that to lure them in, but it still doesn't seem to work,” said owner Marc Neary.
With tourism season set to kick into high gear, Neary is looking to cash-in for the first time in two years, but he's concerned easier access to employment insurance and other benefits might stop the financial flow.
“The Doryman is a live music venue with music five or six nights a week from mid to late June to October, and if I don't find staff, we won't be able to provide that service anymore,” said Neary.
The Miners Village Restaurant in Glace Bay is also having a hard time filling positions and earning a profit.
“Especially seasonal businesses, because you have to make enough money to start the next year and it cost a lot of money to open every year. There's nothing cheap at all, anywhere,” said manager Wilma MacAulay.
