Toronto cafe pays employees $15/hr despite government minimum wage freeze

It’s a happy group of workers at downtown Toronto’s HotBlack Coffee.

It’s not the caffeine that’s giving them a little extra pep in their step, it’s the the wages they’re being paid.

“Eighteen months ago, when the minimum wage was supposed to go from $11.90 to $14 on the first of January 2018 and then again to $15 on the first of January 2019, I made a promise to the staff,” said HotBlack Coffee co-owner, Jimson Bienenstock.

The workers here now make at least fifteen dollars per hour — despite the Ontario PC government’s minimum wage freeze.

“Politics is not the reason why. This is not ideological. This is purely practice in a business sense. I made a promise to my staff and I’m keeping that promise,” Bienenstock added.

The business owner said he finds it “weird” that he is getting media attention for giving his staff a wage increase.

“We have to compete with everybody else who’s competing for good people and part of what we do is pay them better,” Bienenstock said.

READ MORE: Reality check: The math behind Doug Ford’s minimum wage plan

Barista Joseph Ahn said he’s worked at HotBlack since September 2016.

“Wages is good! I like it … So, since I go to an arts school, most of my income goes to my equipment fees and then supplies,” Ahn said.

Isabel Kim, another barista, said her employers are like family and that she has no intention of leaving them.

“It means that he actually cares about his business and us,” Kim said.

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Bienenstock said that having happy and content staff at his customer-focused environment makes for good business. But he understands not all employers have the ability to increase wages across the board.

“I do understand, however, how it could be difficult if you’re in an environment – semi-rural, where the minimum wage is difficult if you are in an export environment because then you’re competing with other countries or other provinces which aren’t putting the wages up,” Bienenstock said. “That could be difficult and I get that.”

“So, I’m not necessarily for an increase in minimum wage, but i do think it’s important to do everything you can as an employer to treat employees well.”

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This is not the first time the Queen St. West shop has made headlines. In 2017, HotBlack Coffee was featured in the New York Times and then on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon – all because of the shop owners’ decision not to offer Wi-fi.

“We still get trashed on social media for not having Wi-fi but that’s ok. We just explain that we don’t sell Wi-fi and we don’t want to be judged on our download speed, we want to be judged on the service experience and the quality of the coffee,” Bienenstock said.