Hospitality/military needs, relationships

By Mike Deibert,
Contributing editor

Join the navy and see the world. And learn to cook, too.

You can do the same in the army. And learn to clean and shoot a rifle.

This is what Chris McGregor, the managing editor of CLN’s sister publication, Atlantic Restaurant News, learned when he walked the aisles of the ApEx trade show in Moncton in late April.

When he saw that the Department of National Defence had a booth at the show he stopped to talk to Major Robert Pitcher to find out why.

It turns out the major is from the DND’s Directorate of Food Services and he was there to let people know that the military needs chefs to feed its many mouths.

In the Canadian Armed Forces there are 1,100 cooks and chefs feeding Canadian service people in Canada alone, and with retirements coming up the Armed Forces need another 140 this year.

Retirement, by the way, can come after 25 years—with a full pension.

Of course, when you sign up you’re going to have learn a few extra things on top of the normal culinary skills. Chefs go through the same basic training as any other military person. Although they would not normally see battle, they still have to learn how to protect themselves.

They are taught leadership skills and crisis management, and there are subsidies available for tuition at cooking schools for those who do not have a culinary diploma or Red Seal.

The food’s good, too.

Canada’s culinary community has a good relationship with the military.

Canadian chefs have shared their knowledge with kitchen crews aboard U.S. naval vessels  through the American navy’s Adopt a Ship program.

And recently the hospitality industry has been showing its support for people in uniform. The Hotel Association of Canada has worked with the DND to develop a program to support Canada’s regular and reserve forces members and families at Canadian lodging establishments. Those taking part offer the military community rooms at a discount below the government rate.

Howard Johnson Canada is one chain offering these discounts.

In St. John’s, NL, the Murray Premises Hotel has been offering discounts to service people since it opened in 2001.

In 2007, the city booked 15,000 room nights for Canadian and foreign members of the military. Thousands of military personnel pass through the city as they head for missions overseas or return home. Military tourism contributes $25 million annually to St. John’s.

The Ontario Accommodation Association board voted unanimously last month to support the HAC program. The OAA represents motels, inns and smaller hotels, and has 1,000 members across Ontario.

On the restaurant side, Tim Hortons has set up an operation in Afghanistan. But I haven’t heard of any restaurants in Canada giving military people headed overseas discounts. I don’t know if there is any practical way to develop such a program.
If it were possible it would be a good thing.