JRoss Hospitality Recruiters E-Blast – July 2019
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JROSS Hospitality Recruiters
You need the right people to win
Foodservice faces challenges, hotels are doing great — and cannabis 2.0 is coming!
Canada's foodservice and restaurant industry is expected to slow its rate of growth but still remain in positive territory, with Restaurants Canada showing 5.2% YoY growth in 2018, with 4.2% predicted for 2019 and 4.4% predicted for 2020. The Conference Board of Canada reported on May 29 that pressures on the industry include increased consumer debt reducing disposable income, rising minimum wages eating into profits, and an increased trend for "ghost" restaurants serving customers only through online ordering portals and food couriers. Fortunately, Restaurants Canada is reporting that operators are anticipating a strong tourism season for 2019 after a Q1 that was challenging due to cold weather and a weaker economy.

The hotel industry is in a very positive place — on April 23, Colliers International's Canadian Hotel Investment Report commented that the Canadian hotel industry is in one of its most profitable periods for hotel owners in the last 30 years. Record operating metrics include CBRE's report of 6.5 % growth in RevPAR over the past 2 years with another 2.2% growth predicted for 2019, which is in line with Q1's .7% actual growth as reported by STR. Destinations Canada reported that international arrivals were up 4% YoY for Jan-April 2019, helping fuel increases in ADR as well as RevPAR.

And the next wave of cannabis products is coming!

Legislation due in October will legalize edibles, including baked goods, confectionery and teas. Products are predicted to be on shelves by December, and Deloitte's "Nurturing new growth" report released in June predicts edibles will build to a $1.6B market in Canada. While currently this is of primary interest to manufacturers of food & beverage products for resale, this is a potentially significant market and Canada is in very early days with cannabis legalization. Many areas are still to be mapped out, including the availability of cannabis infused food & beverage products in vape lounges and restaurants. Current examples of cannabis-related movements with direct impact on traditional hospitality & tourism include the opening of Canada's first-ever cannabis tourism destination, "Green Island Getaways" in PEI, and the re-opening of the HotBox "POTio" in Toronto, with a mobile version to be part of the Craft Beer Festival at Ontario Place. There is even a new cannabis-focused tourism industry organization "NACT" or the National Association of Cannabis Tourism. Recreational cannabis is a huge global movement and Canada is at its forefront. While no one knows exactly how it will affect Canada's hospitality industry, it has the potential to make a significant impact.

You can learn more about Canada's hospitality industry and key labour market issues – including those related to the cannabis industry – on our blog.

Whether you're competing in an industry facing external challenges, in one dealing with record performance, or part of one that's brand new and has huge potential, you need the right people to win.

Fortunately, we can help you find them!

To give you some ideas of what we could deliver for you, we've showcased below a few examples of candidates we've worked with and roles we've worked on in today's exciting hospitality world.


FEATURED CANDIDATE PROFILES

         Director of Operations — Hotel  |  Toronto (open to relocation)
         Restaurant General Manager — Fine Dining  |  Vancouver
         Hotel General Manager  |  Calgary
         Executive Chef — Contemporary Cuisine  |  Toronto

FEATURED SEARCH PROFILES

         Corporate Director of Human Resources  |  Toronto
         General Manager — Fine Dining  |  Vancouver
         Director of Sales — Luxury Hotel  |  Rocky Mountains
         Director of Culinary — Resort Hotel  |  Western Shore, Nova Scotia
These are just a few of the high performing
hospitality professionals we've worked with :
Featured Candidate Profiles
Director of Operations — Hotel  |  Toronto (open to relocation)
This driven executive is looking to leverage their experience in profitability enhancement strategies and operations and help drive the growth of a leading hospitality group. Their mixed portfolio revenue growth expertise combines experience delivering on brand compliance strategies, facilitating franchisee engagements, and successfully using performance measurement and organizational improvement techniques to grow portfolios in both established and emerging markets, all aimed at delivering directly on ownership targets. Their track record for success is clear - in their last role this results focused operator drove 14% revenue growth YOY and improved asset values by 10%. Do you need a leader who thrives in environments where skills in collaborative team-building, market analysis, and brand development are valued? Let us know - this candidate is open to opportunities across Canada!
 
Interested in candidates with this type of profile?
Contact Us

Restaurant General Manager — Fine Dining  |  Vancouver
If you want a stylish, entrepreneurial and sophisticated operator who knows the ins and outs of fine dining, this could be the candidate for you. Balancing mindful humour with a disciplined approach and combining high levels of professionalism and efficiency, this polished professional prides themselves on creating positive workplaces and spectacular guest experiences. As part of the opening and ownership teams for one of Canada's award winning restaurants, they've helped build an outstanding service program from the ground up, with a specific focus on establishing sincere and attentive service standards without jeopardizing the economic realities of operating a new restaurant. A modern day leader with a sophisticated edge, could they be the ideal RGM to represent your distinct brand?

Interested in candidates with this type of profile?
Contact Us

Hotel General Manager  |  Calgary
This highly experienced GM has supported the growth of a hotel group ranked in the Best Top 100 Employers in Canada for 3 consecutive years. They know how to surround themselves with great people, and have built transformative management teams who focus on developing the top line and increasing guest satisfaction. The result? Market share grew by 15 points at the same time RevPAR increased. As a strategic thinker and master planner, this hospitality professional has helped develop a 5 year business plan representing $8+M capital expenditure. This proven performer is seeking a new opportunity with a top tier organization that values continuous growth in people, customer service, sales & yield management. Is that your organization?

Interested in candidates with this type of profile?
Contact Us

Executive Chef — Contemporary Cuisine  |  Toronto
This candidate is a powerhouse chef, poised to dominate the culinary scene in years to come. Along with tremendous culinary skill, they also have solid financial acumen and a penchant for systems. They are organized, methodical, and level headed. Their strong culinary skills build on an apprenticeship at one of Toronto's most prestigious properties, combined with further experience working in a number of hot spots as Chef de Cuisine and Head Chef. With a foundation of training in classical French technique, their palate and skills are now truly international. Combining an impeccable food sense with great plating technique, this proven leader has a track record for successfully building their teams by training and developing apprentices. Creating entertaining food experiences is their passion, along with fostering top quality preparation, workplace culture, and sustainability. Imagine this top performer at your restaurant!

Interested in candidates with this type of profile?
Contact Us


These are just a few of the searches we've worked on for top performing hospitality organizations like yours :
Featured Search Profiles
Successfully filled!
Corporate Director of Human Resources  |  Toronto
Our client is a growing full service restaurant, catering and events company based in Toronto, with operations in Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver. They needed an industry leader to join the senior management team and help continue to grow their industry leading brands. Key requirements included a progressive approach and a proven track record in building a culture of employee engagement, professional development and internal promotion. We found them a dynamic HR professional with restaurant, retail and start-up experience, combined with a passion for employee engagement and driving business results through people priorities. Their new HR leader has already made an impact — can we help you find someone to do the same for your organization?
 
Interested in candidates for this type of role?
Contact Us

Currently open!
General Manager — Fine Dining  |  Vancouver
We are especially honoured to partner with this client, whose origins date back to 19th century China. With over 50 locations in China, Hong Kong & Taiwan, their recent expansion outside Asia includes Vancouver, where they selected us to help them find a great leader for their new restaurant. They need an accomplished operator to oversee the opening and operation of this new entry into Vancouver's highly competitive fine dining market. Able to blend aspects of Chinese cuisine and Western service, their ideal candidate will be integrated into the local market, have a sommelier designation, and epitomize the attributes of a world class restaurant General Manager. Their new leader will have prior restaurant opening experience within a fine dining setting, posses a demonstrated track record for successfully managing a busy, full service restaurant, and know both the city and the competition. We're on it for them — can we help you with something similar?

Interested in candidates for this type of role?
Contact Us

Currently open!
Director of Sales — Luxury Hotel  |  Rocky Mountains
This US based upscale boutique resort company opened this impressive hotel, nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, as their first Canadian location. Known for creating unique, meticulously designed projects that exceed market and guest expectations, this property and company are recognized as trail blazers. They need a Director of Sales who embraces an active mountain lifestyle and is an active sales "hunter" who can lead a team. They've asked us to find them a proven sales leader with a focus on process, coupled with hands on, proven sales acumen to join a team of committed professionals focused on delivering the best luxury boutique hotel experience available. The goal is to consistently fill rooms with tech leaders from Seattle and San Francisco, wedding parties from Calgary and Vancouver and fresh powder heli-skiiers from Europe and Asia. If that would work for you as well, we'd be happy to help!

Interested in candidates for this type of role?
Contact Us

Successfully placed!
Director of Culinary — Resort Hotel  |  Western Shore, Nova Scotia
Our client has been welcoming visitors to its beautiful ocean front property for over 50 years. Situated in an area renowned for tall tales of swashbucklers, pirates and buried treasure, this resort is a picturesque gem, with a reputation for East Coast hospitality, good food and great times. They needed a Director of Culinary to oversee all aspects of their culinary program. They asked us to help them find a true culinary professional with all around food and beverage expertise including culinary, front of house, training, menu development and cost control. We found them a proven professional with top notch Canadian experience, coupled with top end international experience in senior roles for leading restaurants in New York, Singapore & London. Their new Director of Culinary is bringing "been there, done that" experience at the highest international levels to focus on helping deliver that same level of world class service and style to current guests. Could we help you find someone to do the same?

Interested in candidates for this type of role?
Contact Us


THESE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CONNECT GREAT BRANDS WITH GREAT LEADERS. SHOULD WE CHAT ABOUT WHAT WE COULD DO FOR YOU?
LET US HELP YOU FIND STELLAR CANDIDATES
Please contact Ian Milford at 604.268.6202 x1
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