{"id":9294,"date":"2022-12-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/menu\/putting-people-and-the-planet-on-par-with-profit\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T13:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:16:08","slug":"putting-people-and-the-planet-on-par-with-profit","status":"publish","type":"menu","link":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/fr\/menu\/putting-people-and-the-planet-on-par-with-profit\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting People and the Planet on Par with Profit:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Bob<\/figure>
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In Conversation with Court Desautels<\/strong>, CEO of Neighbourhood Group of Companies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Neighbourhood Group of Companies (NGC) was started by Bob Desautels in 1990 with environmental and community responsibility built into the fabric of the business. Responsibly harvested ingredients and a strong commitment to minimizing their carbon footprint were always part of the vision because Bob Desautels believed that a focus on sustainability made for good business policy. Current CEO Court Desautels has built on that foundation, expanding the business and its definition of sustainability to include people as well as the planet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m an S.O.B.,\u201d says Court, \u201cSon of Bob.\u201d After a stint at Sleeman Breweries, Court, the young Desautels joined the company in 2006, taking over management of the Wooly Pub, NGC\u2019s first property. He opened Borealis Grille & Bar in Guelph in 2008 and a second location in Kitchener in 2011. In 2015 Desautels opened Miijidaa in Guelph, and took over as CEO in 2016. The Park Eatery, NGC\u2019s most recent restaurant, opened in Guelph in 2019. Headquartered in Guelph, NGC currently operates five restaurants.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Desautels\u2019 vision for NGC is to deliver superior service with a sense of social responsibility coupled with unwavering dedication to environmental sustainability. And it all starts with employees. \u201cOur industry is built on the backs of workers,\u201d he says. \u201cWe expect them to cater to guests, to make sure every customer is happy. Historically, we haven\u2019t paid them well, and have worked them long, hard hours. We take a reverse approach: if our people are happy, our guests will be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the choice is between \u201ccarrot\u201d and \u201cwhip,\u201d Desautels is determined to choose the carrot all the way. NGC rolled out a health benefits program for employees in 2014, which included both salaried and hourly employees. \u201cAt first, our investors were hesitant because of the cost,\u201d he admits. But rolling out the program restaurant by restaurant showed the success of the experiment The first restaurant to deliver the health benefits program showed immediate results. \u201cIt had the lowest employee turnover and the highest increase in sales,\u201d he notes. \u201cWhen you\u2019re able to keep your employees longer, they get better at their jobs. When employees are more engaged in their work, they have better interactions with guests, which results in increased sales.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When you\u2019re able to keep your employees longer, they get better at their jobs. When employees are more engaged in their work, they have better interactions with guests, which results in increased sales.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Encouraged by that success, NGC decided to it keep going, introducing a health and wellness program in 2018. \u201cThe idea was to encompass habits and resources, to meet non-benefit needs employees might have. For instance, since many of our hourly employees are students on tight schedules, we made sure to serve healthy snacks and to make nutritious food available so they could attend classes without skipping meals,\u201d he shares. They even ran a bus pass program for employees, a twofold effort that provided employee assistance while promoting environmental responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the company has introduced other programs and incentives. NGC\u2019s education fund for both salaried and hourly employees provides access to annual amounts to help them pursue professional development. Another strikingly original plan was to introduce a micro-loan program to help employees escape the trap of predatory lenders. \u201cSome of our employees were losing 30 per cent of their pay so they could quickly access cash to pay for rent or food,\u201d says Desautels. \u201cWe instituted micro-loans which they could pay back over many pay periods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic hit NGC as hard as every other part of the food and hospitality sector. Before any government relief programs were announced, Desautels and his team went to work, creating a relief fund for the 156 employees who suddenly found themselves without incomes. \u201cWe sold gift cards to raise money,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe were hoping to raise $10,000 to help offset the financial impact on our most vulnerable employees. Instead, our guests helped us raise $60,000.\u201d Then they had to come up with a non-biased application process to distribute the funds. A group of 12 people, including Desautels, investors, managers and hourly employees, formed a committee to examine all the applications and allocate the funds. \u201cDuring that period, we continued health benefits for everyone, even if they were laid off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Court began the process of striving for B Corp certification in 2011. \u201cThere are a lot of steps to take, and goals to meet. Success is measured by people, not profits. And the focus is stakeholders, not shareholders.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Communication was key. They held bi-weekly town halls to keep in touch, and their outreach didn\u2019t stop there. \u201cWe looked at all the specialties our employees had to offer,\u201d he says. \u201cHospitality workers are hardworking, very productive  and they like to help people. One staff member was also a yoga instructor\u2014we hired her to give online yoga sessions to employees. We also hired a storyteller to read stories to children while they were at home all day, so parents could have a little break.\u201d Originally intended solely for staff, these online offerings were eventually made available to guests as well. \u201cIt worked both as entertainment and as a way to promote our employees\u2019 side-hustles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like so many other foodservice operators, NGC was left with food on hand in the wake of the shutdowns. \u201cWe donated food to staff, then to local organizations and shelters. We processed the ingredients into soups, stews, curries and then worked with food organizations to help plan and distribute meals. Our staff made that possible. Because they had been helped and supported by us, our employees had time and resources to help other people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generosity can be circular in nature, and a business can be a force for good. NGC is a certified B Corp company, part of a growing movement that sees responsible business as a force for societal and environment change and prioritizes accountability, performance, and transparency. \u201cWe\u2019re audited on our environmental and social governance initiatives, as well as our employment policies and guest services,\u201d says Desautels. \u201c\u2018People, planet, profit\u2019 has always been our model, even when we were just a craft beer bar. Back then, we raised money for environmental action in our area. Over time, we\u2019ve developed our social aspect\u2014how we support our people as well as our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court began the process of striving for B Corp certification in 2011. \u201cThere are a lot of steps to take, and goals to meet. Success is measured by people, not profits. And the focus is stakeholders, not shareholders.\u201d Restaurant groups are not particularly well represented in the B Corp fold: NGC is one of the largest in Canada. Court sees the need for participation now more than ever. \u201cA lot of communities are suffering. If we can keep people from slipping into volatile situations, we have an obligation to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help starts with a shift in perspective. In contrast to the old-school idea that business and personal lives should be kept separate, Desautels encourages exactly the opposite approach. \u201cGet involved in your employees\u2019 lives. That\u2019s how you can find out what services they need, and how you can tailor what you offer them. Think about it in terms of food: you don\u2019t offer your customers just one way to have a burger\u2014you have a variety of options. So, you can\u2019t take a one-plan-fits-all approach to employee programs either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ultimately, we want to create good credit for our employees. The restaurant industry has long been a source of first jobs, for young people and for new Canadians\u2014people with no credit history. Credit is a powerful tool: how can we facilitate that? We\u2019re not there yet, but we\u2019re working on it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Currently Desautels is exploring ideas for future projects and creating a formal employee retention plan. Helping employees build financial resilience is a major priority. \u201cWe\u2019re working on ways to offer up-front bonuses, to remove financial stressors right from the start.\u201d NGC has also designed programs to help employees save and invest. \u201cUltimately, we want to create good credit for our employees. The restaurant industry has long been a source of first jobs, for young people and for new Canadians\u2014people with no credit history. Credit is a powerful tool. How can we facilitate that? We\u2019re not there yet, but we\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although NGC wasn\u2019t able to keep all their employees through the pandemic, enough staff stayed on that when restricted capacity reopening was possible, they were fully staffed. \u201cWord of mouth is the strongest form of advertising. That\u2019s true for employees as well,\u201d says Desautels. \u201cPeople who worked for us spread the word. And, as things normalized, we were people\u2019s first choice when they returned to the industry. We\u2019re back up to 150 employees now, right where we were before the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The massive sector-wide staff shortage puts employees in control, and a growing number of industry professionals feel that\u2019s how it should be. \u201cIf you were not a good employer before the pandemic, you\u2019re probably in dire straits now,\u201d Desautels speculates. \u201cEven if you were a good employer, you have to continue to evolve. Be creative, find out what matters most to your team. Tailor your programs and offerings down to the individual level. It\u2019s not charity. It\u2019s good business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Court acknowledges that it feels counterintuitive. \u201cPeople think \u2018it will cost too much.\u2019 But what will it cost you when your employees leave? We figure that, at the entry level, it costs three to five thousand dollars to lose an employee. It\u2019s not the training, it\u2019s the time it takes to get people up to speed. But we\u2019ve seen it right there in our restaurants, the lowest turnover rate correlates directly to lower costs, better sales and higher profitability. We\u2019re finally starting to see the narrative change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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