Sudbury restaurants pinched by worker shortage as they enforce new vaccine passport

For the last several months, Marsha Smith has been happy to welcome customers to eat indoors once again. She owns Deluxe Hamburgers on Regent Street in Sudbury, Ont.

But on Wednesday, the fast food restaurant closed off its indoor seating area once again. With proof of vaccination rules now in effect in Ontario, Smith decided to pause indoor dining, rather than enforce those rules at least for now.

"It was a difficult decision to make," said Smith, who added that the decision does not have to do with opposition to vaccine requirements, but simply staffing and logistical concerns.

"After discussing it with my staff, I think we have to have someone that is present, like a host or hostess, to see if they're sitting or taking to go, and then asking for proof and verification of their vaccines. And for us, at this moment, it is proving to be a little difficult."

Smith said with students back in school, the restaurant is already short staffed. So for now, Deluxe Hamburgers is serving customers for take out or drive-thru only.

"I'm sure there's going to be those that are going to be upset or not liking that change, but we're just trying our best right now," Smith said.

'Hectic' first day with new rules

Smith isn't the only one short on staff. Just up the road, Gloria's Restaurant had one staff member dedicated to checking customers' ID and vaccine certificates.

"Already we're short staffed, so now we're going to be even more short staffed if we need one of the servers just doing that. And I can't imagine what will happen on the weekend when we're very very busy here," said owner Peggy Sgouros.

Sgouros said Wednesday was a "hectic" day, as she and her staff, as well as customers, adapted to the new rules.

"Some of them had smaller papers that we couldn't see very well, other people were not prepared, some of them had to run back to their cars, and a lot of them did leave because either they didn't have it with them or they didn't have their vaccine, they didn't get their vaccine at all," Sgouros said.

Sgouros said the restaurant had to turn away about 15 per cent of their customers on Wednesday, and she said she worries that number could be even higher on busier days.

If she loses significant business, or customers treat staff poorly because of the rules, she said she's not sure how much longer she'll stay in the business.