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Opinion: When Burnaby restaurants reopen, don’t you dare complain

Many Burnaby restaurants are feverishly making plans to reopen for sit-down meals as part of the province’s next phase for reopening the economy and parts of society.
restaurant complain complaint covid-19 burnaby meal food
Don't be *that* person that complains about their meal at a Burnaby restaurant that has reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getty Images

Many Burnaby restaurants are feverishly making plans to reopen for sit-down meals as part of the province’s next phase for reopening the economy and parts of society.

I say “many” and not “all” because some have already decided they won’t be able to reopen (like this Burnaby restaurant you can read about here) because they simply have lost too much money and can’t afford to start up again.

I wrote about one Burnaby restaurant’s plans and the difficulties faced in this article here. Apart from the cost of physical changes, there is also trying to come up with the cash to purchase large amounts of food from suppliers who might want upfront payments. Some simply don’t have the cash to do that because they’ve already lost tens of thousands of dollars. If you can’t afford to buy food, you can’t reopen.

That’s just some of the incredible challenges face by these businesses.

So, remember all of this when you go to a reopened Burnaby restaurant that first time for a sit-down meal.

Remember all of the struggles they have been going through the past couple of months.

Remember all of the serving and cooking staff, and all of their struggles with unemployment and trying to pay their bills.

Remember that they are now risking their personal safety to feed you.

Remember all of that and don’t you dare for one second complain about anything. If your steak isn’t medium rare, suck it up and eat it. If they gave you rice instead of potatoes, just shrug your shoulders and eat it. If they don’t smile when they bring your food, remember that they have a lot on their minds and can’t always fake it. I don’t even care if you find a hair on your plate. S*** happens.

Just smile and eat because complaining about your meal after what they folks have gone through feels like the height of privilege. Many of these restaurants will reopen with smaller staffs to start because they can’t necessarily bring back all of their workers. So they might struggle to offer the kind of quality and service you are used to.

Like I said, remember all of this and accept that things may not be perfect. Complaining about minor details is just a terrible idea so don’t.

Oh, and tip generously. Tip like you’ve never tipped before. Tip until it hurts.

These folks are moving heaven and earth to put food on the table for you. They deserve all the help and support you can offer.

Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.