Friends who operate eateries and cafes say they get overwhelmed with resumes when they post a job opening on Craigslist, but I guess everyone's mileage varies.
What I'm surprised with is Starbucks manages to get by with only local workers but Tim Horton's can have an entire frontline staff comprised of non locals. It just seems like many operators are turning away locals and sticking to workers they bring in and who are literally bonded to their business for a two year period. This not only gives the operator power (take that shift or I'll send you back!) but also solves the hassle of interviewing locals and having to set up work schedules that match their schedule restrictions. Foreign workers have no kids to pick up from school, no spouse to spend time with, no second job and no local responsibilities, etc. They come to work and work is all they do.
My experience is that jobs with tips (bartending, serving in LPs) get lots of response to ads. No tips, like kitchen jobs or hosting, not so much. McDonald's and Tim Horton's are kinda the worst jobs in the industry. Lowest wages, zero chance for tips, pretty busy workplace, uniforms that are hardly flattering on either sex, and certainly not "coolness" among your peers... A 17-year-old hostess at Earl's is gonna get way more cred with her peers than a McDonalds worker, even though she might make the same money.