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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M ay 27,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca REAL FOOD FOR REAL LIFE. A REAL OPPORTUNITY. Times are changing and our stores are changing right along with them. Never standing still, innovating, and adapting to the challenges of todaywhile preparing for tomorrow has been a key to success in our 40-year history. As more people turn to meals prepared at home, M&MFoodMarkethasbecomethe franchise toown. Learn more about a franchise opportunity built for today and tomorrow at mmfoodmarket.com. the future is frozen Only water 5:30-10 a.m. and 7-11 p.m. Know your day and follow the rules to help conserve our community's water. Water lawns once per week, based on your house number. The Water Conservation By-lawThe Water Conservation By-law is in effect May 31 to September 30is in effect May 31 to September 30 WaterWater wisely!wisely! If your address ends in: 0 or 1 your watering day is: Monday 2 or 3 Tuesday 4 or 5 Wednesday 6 or 7 Thursday 8 or 9 Friday Follow the by-law to help reduce summer strain on our water supply. Thanks for doing your part! For more information: bit.ly/WaterBylaw, 519-575-4400 Deaf and hard of hearing (TTY): 519-575-4608 • You can water shrubs, trees and gardens, wash vehicles or top up pools every other day: even-numbered addresses on even days of the month and odd-numbered addresses on odd days. • Using a bucket, watering can or rain barrel is allowed anytime. • For newly-planted grass and nematode applications, apply online or call. horses at the gate just wait- ing for it to be lifted." Schedules can be printed at the push of a but- ton, according to Char- coal's president Jody Palu- biski, who's ready for a va- riety of scenarios. "I can say with each lockdown it gets harder as it goes on," he said. "I think we've lost people because we just haven't been open and people have gone to places that have." Despite all the prognos- tication, Palubiski believes the things that attracted people to the industry be- fore -- the flexibility, team environment and social networking -- will bring a lot of them back. According to the Work- force Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Duf- ferin, from March 2020 to January 2021, accommoda- tion and food services, in- clusive of hotels and res- taurants, saw employment fall from 17,200 people to 8,000 people. The board's executive director, Charlene Hof- bauer, said that number in- creased to about 9,900 in March, but tapered off after another lockdown order went into effect in early April. It's anticipated many of those laid off will return to the industry in the coming months, but some aren't so sure. "Our industry had a problem with having a shortage of employees pri- or to COVID," noted Minto Schneider, chief executive officer of Explore Waterloo Region, the region's tour- ism marketing board. "Having COVID hit, ev- eryone being unemployed and looking for jobs in oth- er industries, it creates a gi- ant problem." Keith Muller, Conestoga College's chair of business and hospitality, said de- mand will increase with "revenge tourism" that's ex- pected to create a massive push for the industry dur- ing the next few years, be- yond domestic recovery. "The industry is saying first they won't be able to hire staff quick enough and they're probably not going to be prepared for the in- flux of people, so there's go- ing to be a huge demand with not necessarily enough supply," he said. "The U.S. is going through it right now; it's ev- erything," said Schneider. "We've got servers in res- taurants, managers in res- taurants, front-line staff in hotels, chamber maids. We've got everything from entry level employees right up through management." During a recent training seminar for the OpenTable reservation system, a com- pany rep said markets re- opening in other parts of the world are seeing a 120 per cent year-over-year re- turn to operations, Stover noted. The increase in demand is already being seen at ho- tels south of the border. "My American friends don't have enough staff, they can't keep rooms clean and are just over their heads," said Sharon Hales, manager at the Inn of Wa- terloo. "They clean a room, they sell it, and I'm like, 'Oh, I feel so bad for you.'" Full-time jobs at the Inn of Waterloo have dwindled from about 60 to 23, primar- ily due to the pandemic, and staffing challenges are real, Hales said. Coming out of a pan- demic, it sounds like a good problem. Yet according to the Ho- tels Association of Canada, prior to COVID-19, two out of three accommodation businesses saw labour is- sues as a significant imped- iment, with rooms going unsold, business being turned away and expansion plans curtailed. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The hospitality industry was facing a worker shortage prior to the pandemic that's created even more uncertainty for the sector. This article is a part of a series exploring impacts to the industry. NEWS Continued from page 1 'I CAN SAY WITH EACH LOCKDOWN IT GETS HARDER AS IT GOES ON' Patio-goers enjoying their time at Beertown Waterloo in 2020. Metroland file photo