B.C. given a ‘B’ letter grade for liquor policies in bars, restaurants: report

Big In Japan Bar. Randall Brodeur photo

The province has been given a ‘B’ letter grade by Restaurants Canada in its annual review on liquor policies and how they relate to service levels in bars and restaurants.

In its latest Raise the Bar report, the association said there has been “exceptional progress on liquor pricing and other policy measures resulting in significant cost savings and operational improvements for bars and restaurants” in B.C.

This is the highest grade the province has received – following three years of a ‘C’ letter grade.

The report credits the large improvements to the province working with officials from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch following proactive engagement.

The latest review comes as a majority of bar and restaurant operators report that they were losing money or barely scraping by through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 11 per cent of the restaurateurs who took an association survey said they were making some sort of profit.

As for the other provinces, Alberta is once again leading the others with a ‘B+’ grade and Saskatchewan ranking at the bottom, due to an uneven pricing model and the pandemic affecting sales, the association said.

Restaurants Canada was founded in 1944 and is all about helping grow the Canadian culinary world by serving independent operators and national chains.

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