Dr. Bruce McAdams spoke to the Toronto Star on how the restaurant industry can overcome its current labour crisis.

In the article, McAdams said the industry has always struggled with labour shortages due to a business model reliant on low wages and a lack of job security, and low enforcement of labour rights. He anticipated the industry will continue to struggle in the next 10 years as it becomes smaller and deals with increased debts and expenses.

To win back workers, he said, the industry will need to undergo “a significant overhaul” of its business model and begin viewing workers as “internal customers,” he said.

McAdams is a hospitality, food and tourism management professor at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. He studies leadership and sustainable employment models in food service and sustainability issues in the food service industry.