“Supplies are dwindling” – Windsor bars and restaurants feel the impact of the LCBO strike

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It could be an increasingly sobering summer for local bar owners if the ongoing LCBO strike – which is already causing supply shortages during peak patio season – turns into a protracted industrial dispute.

“These are challenging times for restaurants and bars across Ontario that are feeling these impacts,” said Andrew Corbett, bar owner and vice-chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA).

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“Hopefully our members have prepared, stockpiled supplies and are working with the LCBO to get their products as quickly as possible.”

On July 5, approximately 9,000 workers across the province took to the picket line, the first strike in the 97-year history of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

Unresolved issues include unions’ demands for wage increases, more full-time rather than part-time positions, and limiting the sale of ready-to-drink cocktails to LCBO stores.

On Wednesday, the two sides returned to the negotiating table.

A member survey conducted by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) after the first week of strikes found that 60 percent of food and beverage businesses and 50 percent of culinary tourism providers had already been affected.

According to the report, the most common challenges facing businesses include limited product availability, long order and delivery times, replenishment capacities and impact on the visitor experience.

“The supply chain disruption impacts a large percentage of tourism businesses that sell alcohol as part of the visitor experience – from restaurants and bars to culinary tourism to hunting and fishing lodges in Northern Ontario,” said association President and CEO Andrew Siegwart.

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“Tourism companies are unable to offer their visitors the best experience during peak season.”

During the peak tourism season, the TIAO expressed concern about “increasing impacts on small businesses, which make up 90 percent of the industry.”

“Disruptions in the alcoholic beverage supply chain are compounding the challenges many companies already face due to high operating costs and labor shortages,” the association said in a press release.

The LCBO has allowed small businesses to order through the same website that was open to individual customers during the strike, but there are quantity limits and some products are in short supply.

Corbett said the Star Bars can also order directly from local distilleries such as Copper Rose and Wolfhead. Some distilleries, such as JP Wiser’s in Windsor, offer free delivery with minimum orders.

“The number one priority is to make sure we have our fountains,” Corbett said. “We need to make sure we can serve our vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila and gin – that people can come in and get that.”

But despite an “upturn” in direct retail sales for some smaller distilleries, Siegwart said, many of them are also suffering from “significant declines in sales through their LCBO channels.”

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“These lost revenues ultimately impact their bottom line and potentially their current and future ability to deliver compelling on-site experiences to their visitors,” he said.

Andrew Corbett, a partner in the group that owns The Bull & Barrel Urban Saloon, Disco Inferno, Wild Child Nightlife and the three GOAT Tap and Eatery restaurants, said they stocked up on supplies in anticipation of the strike. But supplies are running low.

“It definitely affects us,” Corbett said. “We hope for a quick resolution. We fully support the LCBO.”

“Hopefully there will be a quick solution. But we are working on a long-term strategy in case of an extension.”

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