Restaurants finish 2022 with 70% recovery of previous losses

This 2022 was a year of greatest recovery for the Tijuana gastronomic sector, after experiencing two years of pandemic in which 10% of the restaurants closed, where one of the biggest challenges lies in correcting the human resource deficit.

In an interview with Juan José Plascencia Huerta, president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and  Food Industry (Canirac) of Tijuana, it is expected to have a very encouraging end of the year, due to the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“2022 improved a lot compared to the past two years due to the pandemic, as we had an increase from 60% to 70%, and more on these dates, we are very happy, I have heard positive things for December ”, he noted.

However, the leader recalled that the pandemic left at least 10% of businesses that could not recover and had to close their doors permanently.

An issue that was difficult and that remains a concern for the sector, he said, is the lack of labor between 30% and 40%.

“We are struggling because the employees are leaving, we don’t know if they are going to other areas, we don’t understand, so we have been urging Gastronomy students to join and do their internships with us, so we can support each other,” he said.

In this sense, the restaurant leader indicated that as a chamber they are already planning to organize training courses for those who do not have much experience and who wish to join the sector, since employees are needed in all areas, from dishwashers to chefs.

However, Plascencia Huerta assured that this phenomenon does not only occur in Tijuana, but that it has taken place at a national and even international level, since even in cities like San Diego they also face a lack of human resources.

“Tijuana is among the top five gastronomic destinations in Mexico, which is why it is important to train people and we are going to be working on it,” he stressed.

Finally, he stressed that as employers, restaurateurs should bet on improving work environments, in addition to the salary increases that correspond by law, so that employees feel comfortable and generate a sense of belonging, since the idea is that the gastronomic industry continue to grow.

Canirac Tijuana is currently tied with Puebla in number one of the chamber’s delegations nationwide, with a total of 637 affiliates.