Ontario restaurateurs meet with Minister Lisa Raitt

OTTAWA, Nov. 5, 2012 /CNW/ - Ontario restaurant leaders were part of a delegation that met with federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt this week to discuss the province's restaurant industry at CRFA's second Restaurant Industry Summit on Parliament Hill, Oct. 29-30. Mark Pacinda, President and CEO, Boston Pizza, and Ian MacKay, Executive Vice President and General Manager at ARAMARK Healthcare Canada, sit on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) and met with Raitt. They were joined by George Jeffrey (Quiznos Canada), Julia Hanna (Ristorante Julia, Oakville) and Steve Mastoras (Whistler's Grille, Toronto).

About CRFA's Restaurant Industry Summit
CRFA's Summit brings together prominent leaders from many of Canada's largest restaurant and foodservice companies with federal Members of Parliament. The two-day event aims to raise the profile of CRFA and Canada's restaurant industry in Ottawa.

About Ontario's restaurant industry
With 30,198 units across Ontario, the restaurant industry injects $25 billion into the provincial economy and offers 404,200 jobs.

Note to Editors: Click here for a high-resolution photo of the meeting.

Caption: Ontario restaurateurs met with Minister Lisa Raitt to discuss the province's foodservice industry at CRFA's second Restaurant Industry Summit. Pictured left to right: George Jeffrey; Ian MacKay; Julia Hanna; CRFA President and CEO Garth Whyte; Minister Lisa Raitt; Steve Mastoras; and Mark Pacinda.

CRFA is one of Canada's largest business associations, with more than 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and other foodservice providers. Canada's $65-billion restaurant industry employs more than 1.1 million people in communities across the country.

SOURCE: Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

MEDIA CONTACT:  Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected].