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Servers shouldn’t be subjected to abuse from customers: BC Restaurant Association President

The President of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association (BCRFA) said 99.9% of residents dining out have been understanding about the current operating conditions establishments are dealing with.

Ian Tostenson told MyPGNow.com  about an unfortunate incident that made his head spin.

“We saw a situation in the Shuswap where someone became impatient in an Asian restaurant, that was horrible and the guy that pulled that one off should be ashamed of himself and I hope he never steps foot in a restaurant in British Columbia again.”

“It got even worse than that, it became racist just because his order was delayed. We’ll see that because there are some social distancing in kitchens, which will cause delays but we just have to expect this.”

Tostenson added some people may still be struggling to understand the type of conditions restaurants are having to work under.

“The protocol is that the restaurant needs to take you to your table, your table can have no more than six people and then that table will be six feet away from the next table and no table hopping, which means you can wave to your best friend from across the room but you can’t come over, so you can see what they are trying to do is limit the contact with people who aren’t part of your pod or group.”

“What we’re finding is that people are embracing the protocols we have but then there are people like the guy in the Shuswap who have the whole dominance thing where they can just go into a business and they are there to serve them and be like the guy in the Shuswap who had no regard and was just dominating the situation.”

In addition, the BCRFA head stated all employees at restaurants are doing the best they can.

“Staff is maybe first-time jobbers and irrespective of that, they don’t need to be getting that kind of abuse from people who are woefully ignorant about swanning to comply with what we have to do right now.”

“I will say that the restaurants have done a great job of providing a safe and fun environment and we just have to get rid of these fringe elements.”

Tostenson expects these conditions to be in place for at least a year until the pandemic improves.

Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Brendan Pawliw
Brendan Pawliw
Since moving to Prince George in 2015, Brendan has covered local sports including the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, Prince George Spruce Kings, UNBC Timberwolves, Cariboo Cougars AAA, and Northern Capitals U18 female hockey teams. Career highlights include play-by-play during the Spruce Kings' BCHL championship runs in 2018 and 2019, including the Doyle Cup win. He also covered the 2019 National Junior A Championship, the 2017 Telus Cup, the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship, and the 2022 BC Summer Games. Brendan is the news voice on 94.3 The Goat and Country 97 FM, reporting on crime, real estate, labour, and environmental issues. Outside of work, he officiates box lacrosse and fastball, sits on the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame board, and co-hosts the Hockey North podcast.

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