How to Manage Restaurant Staffing During the Holidays in Canada

If you run a restaurant in Canada, you already know the holidays are a double-edged sword.

On one side, you've got packed dining rooms, office parties, out-of-town guests, and a chance to finish the year strong. On the other, there's labour shortages, rising costs, stat-holiday pay, and staff who are exhausted before New Year's Eve even hits.

This guide walks through a practical, Canada-specific plan to manage restaurant staffing during the holidays without burning out your team or blowing your labour budget.

Start With the Numbers: Forecast Your Staffing Needs

Before you post a single job ad, start with your data. Look at last year's sales and covers by day and daypart, like Fridays in December, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve. Review your labour percentage on peak days, booking patterns from your reservation system and online ordering, and any special events you've got coming up, whether that's office parties, buyouts, catering, or pop-ups.

Most Canadian restaurants are already under pressure from rising food and labour costs. A recent Restaurants Canada CEO Note reports that over the past two years, food costs have risen by 13% and labour costs by 11%, signalling that cost pressures remain high even as inflation begins to ease. That makes it even more important to staff intentionally rather than "just in case."

Build a simple holiday staffing model by projecting sales for key dates, deciding on your target labour percentage (for many full-service venues, this might be 30 to 35% of sales, depending on your concept), and using your average sales per labour hour to estimate how many server, bar, host, and back-of-house hours you can realistically schedule.

Toronto's Befikre uses Toast's reporting and handhelds to help servers manage 8 to 10 tables instead of 3 to 5, after moving away from paper tickets and manual processes. That kind of efficiency means you can run the same volume with fewer people on the floor or serve more guests with the team you already have.

Build a Seasonal Hiring Plan (And Start Early)

In Canada, the labour market for hospitality is tight. Restaurants Canada reports that the food-service sector is grappling with nearly 100,000 job vacancies, which is the highest of any private-sector industry. They note that on average, restaurants are operating at about 80% of their normal capacity due to labour shortages.

Work backwards from your busiest dates. For most full-service restaurants, the crunch period is late November (office parties, early holiday dinners), early to mid-December (peak party and gift-card season), Christmas week (depending on whether you're open), and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day brunch.

Aim to have seasonal hires fully trained at least 2 to 3 weeks before your first big event. That usually means posting roles in September or October, shortlisting and interviewing in October, and onboarding and shadow shifts through November. Holiday-specific roles might include extra hosts or reservation coordinators, support servers and runners for banquets and large parties, prep cooks and dishwashers for heavy production days, and catering or off-site event staff.

According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, 57% of Canadian hospitality workers say salary and benefits are the most important factor when evaluating an employer, with work-life balance coming second at 23%. That means your job ads should lead with clear hourly pay ranges and any holiday premiums, real schedule expectations like "must be available Friday and Saturday nights in December," and any benefits that matter to frontline staff, such as staff meals, transportation support in bad weather, tip pooling approach, or wellness benefits.

You can find seasonal staff through students by partnering with local colleges and universities like George Brown, SAIT, or Vancouver Community College and hospitality schools. Local Facebook and community groups are another good source, as many Canadian cities have active service-industry groups where staff share opportunities. Employee referrals work well when you offer a small bonus if a referral stays through the holiday period, and local agencies can be especially helpful for back-of-house or banquet staff in major cities.

Offer Competitive, Compliant Holiday Pay

You're hiring into a market where both staff and guests are price-sensitive. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, 67% of Canadian diners say price is a primary or quite influential factor in where they choose to eat, and promotions or deal-heavy pricing are the most popular pricing model. So you're balancing two things: paying staff fairly, especially on stat holidays and peak nights, and designing menus and pricing that keep value obvious for guests.

Holiday staffing isn't just a scheduling question, it's a compliance issue. In Canada, public (statutory) holiday rules differ by jurisdiction, but common themes include general holiday pay (often based on average daily wages in the weeks prior), premium pay (like 1.5 times) if staff work the holiday, sometimes on top of general holiday pay, and minimum employment periods and qualifying rules, such as working the scheduled shift before and after the holiday.

For example, at the federal level, employees of federally regulated employers are entitled to paid general holidays such as New Year's Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act sets out nine public holidays and entitlements to either a day off with public holiday pay or premium pay if the employee works. Provinces like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have their own lists of paid public holidays and premium pay rules, often 1.5 times the regular wage rate for hours worked on the holiday.

The Government of Canada’s Labour Program offers clear guidance on federal holiday entitlements, and every province has its own employment standards website that outlines specific rules for statutory holidays. For example, the Ontario Ministry of Labour publishes straightforward, regularly updated guides that walk employers through public holiday pay, eligibility, and premium rates.

To avoid confusion and resentment, share a one-page holiday pay explainer with staff that covers what counts as a stat, how premium pay works, and how you schedule. Remind staff about any black-out dates where time-off requests are limited, and use your scheduling tool or staff app to keep everything visible and in writing.

Just a reminder: this article provides general information, not legal advice. Holiday pay rules vary by province and can change, so it’s always a good idea to check your local employment standards — and, if needed, speak with an HR professional or employment lawyer before finalising your holiday schedule and payroll.

Create a Fast, Fair Hiring and Onboarding Experience

When you're staffing for the holidays, you don't have time for a six-round interview process. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, 49% of Canadian hospitality workers prefer a two-round interview process, and 37% would rather have a single, short interview.

Keep your hiring process lightweight but structured. Round one should be a 15 to 20 minute phone or video screen focused on availability, experience, and basic fit. Round two should be an in-person interview plus a short paid trial shift where permitted by local law (be sure to pay at least minimum wage and follow provincial rules). Use a standard question set so you can compare candidates fairly.

Holiday hires don't have months to ramp up, and they don't expect it. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, 75% of workers expect to be fully trained within two weeks (28% within one week, 47% within two). The same survey shows that structured onboarding matters: over 51% say a structured onboarding process is extremely valuable, with another 36% calling it somewhat valuable.

You can deliver that without creating a training textbook. Build a 7 to 14 day onboarding plan that includes formal orientation covering values, policies, uniform, and health and safety (especially important in winter conditions). Include job shadowing where new hires shadow a strong server, bartender, or line cook for a few shifts. Set up peer mentoring by pairing each seasonal hire with an experienced buddy for their first month. Schedule check-ins with a 10-minute end-of-shift debrief for the first 3 to 4 shifts to catch issues early.

Design Holiday Schedules That Actually Work

Schedules are where your holiday staffing plan either shines or falls apart. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025 (restaurant manager sample), the biggest scheduling challenge is last-minute changes (28.5%), closely followed by understaffing (26.5%).

If you're still scheduling via spreadsheets, WhatsApp, or a paper notebook, the holidays are when those cracks really show. Use scheduling software, including Toast's team-management tools, to set templates for peak weeks. Lock in core shifts first (your best closers and openers), then fill around them with seasonal staff. Build buffers for weather and lateness, especially in regions with heavy snow and transit delays.

Be upfront early about which dates are non-negotiable, like New Year's Eve or the Friday and Saturday before Christmas. Clarify how many request-off slots are available per shift and what the swap process looks like. For example, staff must find their own replacement and get manager approval 24 to 48 hours before the shift.

For teams that are stretched thin, cross-training can be a lifesaver. When servers can host, hosts can run food, and bartenders can jump on the floor for a round of drinks, you're far less exposed when someone calls in sick.

Protect Morale and Wellbeing During the Holiday Rush

Holiday service can be magical, or it can feel like pure survival mode. Given that many Canadian restaurants are operating at a loss or just breaking even, with both food and labour costs up significantly, it's easy for leadership to focus solely on numbers. But your people are your brand.

Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. A quick five-minute pre-shift huddle to run through specials, 86’d items, big bookings, and a few shout-outs can set a positive tone for the whole night. And in the middle of a Canadian winter, staff meals matter even more — a hot, comforting dish goes a long way when everyone’s working long, cold evenings.

It also helps to build a “no-hero” culture. Encourage your team to speak up if they’re drowning. It’s always better to slow down the door or cut a few walk-ins than to push staff to the point of burnout.

And don’t underestimate the power of tiny moments of recognition. A handwritten thank-you note, a small gift card, or a team toast after a tough service can boost morale more than you might expect. These gestures remind your team that you see their effort, and you appreciate them — especially during the holiday rush.

It's a small way of saying: we know this season is intense, and we appreciate you.

Use Technology to Take Pressure Off Your Team

When your tech is clunky, holiday staffing problems get worse. Servers queueing at a single terminal, lost paper chits, and managers stuck in the office trying to run reports all add up.

When it works, technology becomes a force multiplier. Handheld POS devices let servers fire orders from the table, reducing laps to the terminal and helping them cover more tables without compromising service. Kitchen Display Systems keep your line organised, help you prioritise tickets, and reduce shouting across the pass. Online ordering and reservations help you smooth demand and avoid overbooking. Reporting and analytics give you real-time visibility into labour percentage, sales by hour, and server performance, especially useful when you're deciding whether to cut or add a shift mid-service.

For owners, general managers, and CFOs, that means you can do more with the team you have instead of constantly scrambling to hire. Keep labour in line with sales, even when the weather or bookings are unpredictable. Give staff tools that make their workday easier, not harder.

Don't Forget Your Marketing and Communication

Staffing and demand go hand in hand. If your team is perfectly scheduled but you haven't filled the book, or you're overwhelmed with walk-ins, the holiday season will be rough.

Use your guest data and marketing tools to promote early bookings for office parties and family dinners. Offer set menus and prix-fixe packages that make service more predictable for back-of-house. Communicate holiday hours, closure days, and booking policies clearly across Google, social, and your website. Nudge guests toward off-peak times, like early seatings or weekday lunches, with small incentives.

Planning Ahead Makes All the Difference

Holiday staffing in Canada will never be completely stress-free. You're juggling inflation and cost pressures, labour shortages and compliance rules, weather, transit, and last-minute cancellations, and staff who are often juggling their own family and holiday commitments.

Managing holiday staffing isn't about throwing more people at the problem. It's about building systems, culture, and technology that support your team when it matters most, so guests feel the magic of the season, and your staff still want to come back in January.