Oysters and rosé: Toronto’s hospitality industry tries to lure back staff

Freshly shucked oysters, a glass of rosé and appetizers at a hiring fair?

“It’s hard to talk hospitality if you’re not doing hospitality,” said John Bunner, the operations director for Alo Food Group.

Monday’s event at Salon in Yorkville is the first hiring fair Alo Food Group has hosted since the opening of Alo, their award-winning, fine-dining flagship, in 2015.

It’s also a sign of the times.

Around 600,000 food service employees lost their jobs early on in the pandemic, and only 65 per cent of those workers have returned since. It’s a trend some economists are calling the “Great Realignment,” where low-wage workers are moving to higher-paying sectors with more job security.

Businesses have been searching for ways to bring back some of the 205,800 Canadians who left the industry, but filling job openings is only half of the problem. And even though people have been flocking to restaurants after most pandemic-era measures have been removed, some places are still looking to fill empty seats.

It’s not a new phenomenon for hospitality professionals to switch careers — it’s a transient industry, Bunner said. What’s new is the rate at which people are leaving, especially as the pandemic presents few opportunities to replace or bring back those who opted for the exit.

Like many other happenings during the pandemic, this job fair is a first for Alo.

“We’ve always had more interest than positions,” Bunner said. “That’s still the case for us, but we recognize that we need to be a bit more active, engaged and proactive.”

Cue the oysters, wine, and an “on-ramp” to bring together people at all levels of the industry: Alo said the fair connected fellow business owners with rookie chefs, aspiring hostesses and seasoned hospitality professionals.

Experts say recruitment, while important, may not be enough to bring people back into the industry and help keep them there.

Higher wages, regular and consistent shifts, and a “reasonable” amount of hours for each shift, are just some of the measures the food service industry should consider mandating, said Sheila Block, a senior economist with the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. You also want to craft policies that target important issues like racism and sexism in the workplace, she said.

“If you want to get people in the door and keep them,” Block said, these policies are important.

And while hospitality workers no longer have the added tasks of checking for proof of vaccination and enforcing mask mandates, COVID is still very much a factor. In fact, the risk to employees may be higher than ever during the sixth wave, she said, and talent may be weighing whether it’s worth it for them to return to the industry.

Even if the Alo event closes without a new hire, Bunner hopes it will invigorate both people in the industry and those looking to join to push forward, even as they navigate new challenges, like changes in how people dine out.

Long gone are the days where people would visit two to three spots per night, Bunner said. Likely, people are booking a reservation and settling in for the “dinner show,” sticking around for three hours compared to the pre-pandemic hour and a half.

It’s a new type of dining experience, Bunner said, but the lack of casual walk-ins for a drink by the bar or a quick bite affects their bottom line, as do canceled reservations.

Mark Jones noticed this problem too, and developed lynqa hospitality focused rewards program designed to help improve profitability of bars and restaurants during the recovery period of the pandemic.

Jones hopes to help businesses by filling empty seats during off-peak hours, like “2 to 5, or on a Sunday afternoon.”

The app offers participating restaurants and bars — including Dineen Coffee Co, Ascari and Mercato E Vini — a chance to monetize slow business periods by rewarding customers who dine in during that time with up to 10 per cent cash back.

Lynq connects directly to the user’s credit card network and allows diners to redeem their rewards for cash via Interac e-Transfers. All you have to do is show up and pay with the card you have linked to your Lynq account.

“It’s seamless,” Jones said, and removes the need for coupons or QR codes that present more work for already stretched employees.

Jones hopes to expand to cities outside of Toronto eventually, but for now, they’re looking to make an impact on this city’s re-emerging restaurant industry.

“The loss and closures of local restaurants completely changed the fabric of our city and communities,” Jones said. “We need to do our best to continuously support them.”

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