Winnipeg Restaurants - Page 354

pacman · #**7061** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 2:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

I guess it comes down to knowing who you are bargaining with. Unions and governments can go back and forth with absurd opening offers because the government can't really just close up shop and fire everyone.

In this case, the union obviously overplayed their hand. If you play hardball with someone who is able to walk away from the deal completely - you need to tread carefully.

Exactly. There is a time and a place for unions but its not every time not not every place. You can't force private businesses to negotiate and they always have the option of doing a "no thank you" and moving on. If they want to burn their business to the ground, let them, its their money.... and in that situation what has the union gained for the employees they're "fighting" for? A one way ticket to EI, or moving on to another job where the grass may or may not be greener.

esquire · #**7062** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 2:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacman

Exactly. There is a time and a place for unions but its not every time not not every place. You can't force private businesses to negotiate and they always have the option of doing a "no thank you" and moving on. If they want to burn their business to the ground, let them, its their money.... and in that situation what has the union gained for the employees they're "fighting" for? A one way ticket to EI, or moving on to another job where the grass may or may not be greener.

OK, but in fairness, this kind of scorched earth policy is probably going to hit the restaurant owners a lot harder than the staff... the staff will find similar jobs elsewhere. Obviously covid will make that a bit tougher in the short term, but under normal circumstances it would be pretty easy. But what the restaurant owners had can't be easily duplicated without a lot of time, money and effort.

CoryB · #**7063** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 5:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

For me, in this specific case - it's the union demand of guaranteeing staff to have weekends off after 1 year of employment.

That is an absolute poison pill, and not possible for this type of business. The union shot themselves in the foot, and staff who signed on to this learned an important lesson.

Having scheduling preference time bound to a hard line length of service is definitely odd. That said scheduling preference based on seniority is a fairly common union clause in places open outside of business hours. In the case of Stella's if all your employees worked there a full year preference to be off on weekends would say go to those that have been there 2 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

Yeah Stella's shutting down was 100% due to the union, and I don't blame them. The demands were absurd and borderline impossible to uphold in the restaurant industry, and still somehow try and provide good service and make profit.

Not really absurd or even that difficult to accomplish. The most junior staff work the shifts the most senior staff don't work. Pretty common union contract.

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

Burn entire business? The other ones were all still packed pre-COVID and will def be back just fine.

Stella's has closed down at least three locations, at least one of which was not unionized. The pressure is going to be fairly sustained to skip Stella's. With the added side of "support local" and that number of places actively competing for the limited dollars out there right now it can only hurt Stella's bottom line, not just now but over the long term. Also the near term hit is going to be depleting whatever reserves they have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

Also I can't imagine a potential owner on earth that would buy a unionized restaurant, especially already seeing what all the ridiculous demands would be.

Could have done a license back deal effectively leaving the unionized locations with the current owners. The current owners could then have closed those locations down and the new owner would be free and clear.

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

Yeah there's no way to make things work with that. Also bizarre considering those are the biggest money shifts – especially at a brunch restaurant. I agree, beggars can't be choosers, I don't feel bad at all.

It is done all the time in places that run more that "business hours" the senior staff get scheduling preference over the junior staff. Very standard union contact term. And why might Stella's staff be asking for the peak shifts off? Perhaps they have school age children and are single parents. Good luck finding daycare for your child on a Sunday morning.

horrorbro123 · #**7064** Posted **Dec 6, 2020, 11:43 PM**

Something Going On Tcby In Kenaston Next To Subway

Intrepid-Poster · #**7065** Posted **Dec 9, 2020, 11:00 PM**

Elm Pizzeria and cafe just opened at 163 Henderson Highway. Has anyone tried it yet?

cllew · #**7066** Posted **Dec 10, 2020, 1:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intrepid-Poster

Elm Pizzeria and cafe just opened at 163 Henderson Highway. Has anyone tried it yet?

Have not yet tried it but there are a few comments on the EK Elmwood facebook group about it and they are not good comments about the quality.

I was just looking at their website and it does not have a menu just a button that says get quote. they may have used a canned format and not realized the site is borked.

It apparently shares the same owner at JC's taco's one block north on Henderson.

cllew · #**7067** Posted **Dec 10, 2020, 1:42 AM**

Has anybody besides me tried the Curry&Pint on McLeod @ London for their fish and chips or the butter chicken? I have been doing weekly takeout from there for the past 2 months and its been quite good.

They also do Indian Takeout but as I don't know what the meals are I have not tired them but they look good.

Intrepid-Poster · #**7068** Posted **Dec 16, 2020, 3:41 AM**

I see that renovations are being done to the front of the old Marigold restaurant on Empress. Does anyone know if another restaurant is going into the space?

CoryB · #**7069** Posted **Dec 16, 2020, 5:21 PM**

^^ The former Marigold on Ellice was for sale. The for sale signs came down and they had started to paint over the brick. Then seemingly out of no where they stopped painting the bricks and little has happened there since, at least based on what can be seen from the exterior.

trueviking · #**7070** Posted **Dec 16, 2020, 7:20 PM**

i noticed that doordash and i think curb-side pick up is still coming from the Stella's on Sherbrook, so the kitchen must be operating....maybe the whole thing is a way to break the union and they will re-open when the world is back to normal....hopefully.

drew · #**7071** Posted **Dec 16, 2020, 8:16 PM**

^ I am pretty sure that location also serves as their "headquarters" - so I think your assessment is probably correct.

They are doing what they need to do remove the union from the equation. That location was always busy, and will be again, post covid.

ba_split · #**7072** Posted **Dec 16, 2020, 10:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cllew

Has anybody besides me tried the Curry&Pint on McLeod @ London for their fish and chips or the butter chicken? I have been doing weekly takeout from there for the past 2 months and its been quite good.

They also do Indian Takeout but as I don't know what the meals are I have not tired them but they look good.

Had the Fish and Chips Family liked it.

trueviking · #**7073** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 4:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

^ I am pretty sure that location also serves as their "headquarters" - so I think your assessment is probably correct.

They are doing what they need to do remove the union from the equation. That location was always busy, and will be again, post covid.

Can you imagine the social warriors on social media if they reopen without the union. You’ll have to sneak in and out so nobody outs you for eating there.

TimeFadesAway · #**7074** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 2:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking

Can you imagine the social warriors on social media if they reopen without the union. You’ll have to sneak in and out so nobody outs you for eating there.

It's also illegal to close and then reopen to avoid unionization.

esquire · #**7075** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 2:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimeFadesAway

It's also illegal to close and then reopen to avoid unionization.

Bad decisions driven out of spite for employees. Sounds pretty on brand for Stella's...

drew · #**7076** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 3:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimeFadesAway

It's also illegal to close and then reopen to avoid unionization.

Not that I don't believe you - but even if a law like this was on the books (and that it would apply to a private company)- it seems to me it would pretty easy to skirt around.

And even if they do run into legal issues (civil not criminal), I suspect they would just need make a slight name change and menu change and be done with it.

As you can tell from most of my posts related to this issue - I have zero sympathy for the union in this case.

TimeFadesAway · #**7077** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 3:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

Not that I don't believe you - but even if a law like this was on the books (and that it would apply to a private company)- it seems to me it would pretty easy to skirt around.

And even if they do run into legal issues (civil not criminal), I suspect they would just need make a slight name change and menu change and be done with it.

As you can tell from most of my posts related to this issue - I have zero sympathy for the union in this case.

The Supreme Court has ruled that closing and reopening a business for the purposes of breaking a union constitutes an unlawful change in working conditions, a practice that is deemed unfair in Manitoba's Labour Relations Act.

https://mcmillan.ca/Right-to-Close-B...atutory-Freeze

drew · #**7078** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 3:39 PM**

^ reading that, it seems that COVID will provide all the reasoning required in this case, and probably why they chose to do this now.

And again, I suspect a change in the restaurant name, menu, perhaps some change in the ownership structure will easily move past this legislation.

This isn't a Walmart closing and then re-opening again.

bomberjet · #**7079** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 4:09 PM**

I'll repeat my same opinion as I've done numerous times. If you don't like your work environment, get a new one. This isn't a highly skilled well paying job.

Why anyone would fight to stay at Stella's when the owners don't give two shits about you, I don't know.

CoryB · #**7080** Posted **Dec 17, 2020, 4:36 PM**

^^ Labour law students perhaps wanting to make an example? Could also be some truly spiteful employees wanting "revenge" on owners?

Considering a union doesn't just walk in and take over your business Stella's truly did something to deserve where it is at, especially as you said it isn't the sort of job people tend to want to hold onto. There is definitely something deeper at play and all the "easy" workarounds to this situation people are claiming have already been tried and been found to be illegal. Yes, no one is going to prison over those violations but you will also not be able to legally operate a business under those conditions either.