Restaurant industry leaders from across Canada meet in Charlottetown today

CHARLOTTETOWN, May 26, 2014 /CNW/ - Local restaurateur Liam Dolan plays host to the 30-member Board of Directors of Restaurants Canada today through May 28 for their annual spring meeting. Restaurants Canada (formerly the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association) is a trade association that represents the country's restaurants, pubs, caterers and other foodservice businesses.

Dolan, who owns Claddagh Oyster House, Olde Dublin Pub and Peake's Quay, was elected chair of the board of Restaurants Canada for 2014-2015 and is a passionate promoter of Prince Edward Island hospitality.

"We have an amazing culinary community in this province and I'm proud to show it off to restaurant executives and owners from Vancouver to St. John's," says Dolan. "We'll also use this opportunity to talk to local politicians about the importance of our industry to jobs, tourism, fishing and farming."

P.E.I.'s restaurant and foodservices industry generates sales of $250 million a year and directly employs 5,600 Islanders, including more than 2,000 young people under the age of 25.

"Restaurants are the number one place where Canadians get their first job," says Restaurants Canada president and CEO Garth Whyte. "We're a training ground for thousands of young people every year, and in our industry they learn skills that will help them in any career."

The group will meet some of P.E.I.'s up-and-coming chefs and managers at The Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College, with a dinner and tour on the agenda.

Restaurants Canada (formerly the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association) is a national association comprising 30,000 businesses in every segment of the foodservice industry, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and their suppliers. Through advocacy, research, and member programs and services, Restaurants Canada is dedicated to helping its members in every community grow and prosper.

Canada's restaurant industry directly employs more than 1.1 million Canadians, contributes $68 billion a year to the Canadian economy, and serves more than 18 million customers every day.

SOURCE: Restaurants Canada

Liam Dolan [phone] or Jill Holroyd [phone] or [email protected]