Hospitality job fair aims to hire 1,000 workers while in tough pandemic spot

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — A job fair on Saturday at APEX Entertainment aimed to hire 1,000 workers across five companies.

Evviva Trattoria restaurants, 110 Grill restaurants, APEX Entertainment, True North Management Group and Critical Incident Management were accepting applications, conducting interviews and offering jobs on the spot.

With 1,000 positions up for grabs, the job fair was a sign of the improving times following a difficult year for the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It temporarily destroyed the hospitality industry,” said Ryan Dion, Chief Operating Officer of 110 Grill. “We’re coming back fast and furious. It’s very exciting to get back on track to where we want to be.”

Now one year later, restaurants, entertainment venues and hotels are opening back up – but some companies are struggling to bring their employees back to work.

“Lots of people in the hospitality business, they’re making more money on unemployment, so they don’t want to come back,” said Marcie Day, Chief Operating Officer of Evviva Trattoria.

“The latest statistic is that 62% of restaurant employees are making more on unemployment than they are coming back to restaurants,” said Dion. “That’s what’s making it very, very difficult right now.”

The recruiters hoped to hire as many people as quickly as possible.

The job fair offered a new beginning for some applicants and a return to old roots for others, like Cameron Bailey, who hoped to secure a new job in his hometown and leave his current bartending job in Amherst.

“Hours were cut a good amount [during the pandemic], which was kind of sad, and then a lot of people quit,” Bailey said.

“I’m genuinely looking for a new field to expand into, so I’m hoping one of these catches my eye.”

If you missed the job fair, you can still apply for positions online. Click the name of the company below for more information:

--APEX Entertainment

--Evviva Trattoria

--110 Grill

Cox Media Group