Recession hits restaurant industry

Albert’s Real Jamaican Foods is more than a restaurant. “It’s a meeting place—an institution,” says the gregarious, cheerful owner, Albert Wiggan, whose business has been at St. Clair Avenue West and Bathurst Street since 1988.

But, as Wiggan admits, he’s not recession proof.

According to the Canadian Foodservice and Restaurant Association’s prediction for 2009, both full-service and quick-service restaurants will be hit hard by the current economic decline.

To save money people are already eating out less and eating for less, more often. As people downsize economically, they are brown-bagging their lunches more often. If they do eat out they are looking for reasonably priced nutritious food.

Wiggan’s prices, which range from $2 to $14, are competitive, but customer traffic is not what it used to be. To compensate, Wiggan has been forced to take on more responsibilities behind the cash and in the kitchen and cut the hours of his 12 staff.

Having survived Canada's recessions in the 80's and 90's, Wiggan remains unfazed by the challenge. Born dyslexic, into a low-income family, he is accustomed to overcoming obstacles.

After arriving in Toronto from his native Jamaica in the 1970s, Wiggan worked in factories for several years in order to save enough money to one day open up his own business. Growing up in a family of 15 children, Wiggan learned how to cook at a young age.

More than twenty years later, the smell of traditional delicacies like jerk chicken and roti draws a diverse customer base from across the city. “Everybody knows Albert’s,” explains one nearby pedestrian.

Regardless of how long this recession lasts, Wiggan will continue to produce quality specialties, provide a homey atmosphere and take a personal interest in every customer that walks through his door.