The Allium also had to face the fact that while it might be operating as a worker co-op, it was still doing so within a capitalist system. While it tried to buy from small local suppliers instead of big corporations, the latter were always cheaper and inevitably ended up getting some of the restaurant’s business. Its landlord was also largely primarily concerned with profit and had little sympathy when The Allium asked, for instance, for a pause on rent increases. But while an ordinary restaurant could deal with these challenges by cutting wages or relying exclusively on the big suppliers, The Allium’s philosophy precluded it from doing so, which came at a significant cost.
“Every step we almost just shot ourselves in the foot financially,” says Blustein, “because we were trying to be more equitable and that makes for a more stressful operational experience.”
This stress played a major role in The Allium’s eventual closure. Even as the pandemic was easing, Blustein and the other members were feeling burnt out.
“We just all thought, if there’s a slight chance that we can sell, and not only make all our money back, but maybe make the tiniest bit of money on the sale, then let’s just do that,” he says.
Read the rest at the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation
Add new comment