Jessie Votary Put Her People Over Profit, And Came Out Ahead

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians enjoyed dining out prior to the pandemic, spending $2,775 or just over one-quarter of their total food spending at restaurants in 2019. Eating out had become a way of life. Flash forward to today and over half (51.2%) of food services and drinking places do not know how long they can continue to operate before considering closure or bankruptcy. Saddled with massive government debt, rising food costs, ongoing supply chain issues and a labour shortage, few would disagree that the restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. Jessie Votary of Ramshackle Industries in Stratford, Ontario knows this all too well, and yet not a single one of the employees in her four restaurants was let go despite three government mandated shut downs. A few of her employees were even able to buy homes. Is Jessie on to something? We’re finding out in this podcast as Jessie shares her people over profit philosophy with us, and her unusual relationship with her financial advisor at RBC, Tina Tamasi

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