With hotels and restaurants struggling to stay open amid provincial stay-at-home orders, an uncertain future lies ahead for both owners and workers within the hospitality sector. But keeping culinary students hopeful about the future of an industry experiencing so much uncertainty remains the goal for former restauranteur and current George Brown College (GBC) hospitality professor, Andy Hickl-Szabo. 

“The industry has been decimated. It’s plain to see, the carnage is everywhere,” says Hickl-Szabo. “And it might take six months, it might take a year, it might take two. The one thing we’ve learned in the pandemic is don’t bank on any predictions. But the hospitality industry is full of entrepreneurs and we’ve seen them pivot remarkably quickly.” 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant owners have had to get creative in the implementation of new hospitality operations to stay open and serve customers. As a hospitality professor, Hickl-Szabo has had to get innovative as well in trying to establish the best ways to teach his students using remote learning methods. 

“We’re limited in terms of resources because now everything is online. That limits my ability for sure to connect with students,” says Hickl-Szabo. These limits, however, have not adhered his dedication to the process.

 “I believe in it logically and I believe in my heart that there is going to be a huge uptick at one point, and [students] need to be prepared.”

Although navigating through these challenges has been difficult, Hickl-Szabo says that the pandemic has also offered an opportunity to correct certain problems that have become traditionally accepted within the hospitality industry over the years. 

“Yes, you can look at all the carnage and horrible things. But when that’s done, we have an opportunity to get it right,” says Hickl-Szabo. 

“The coronavirus has shed a light on some of the systemic problems that we have had in the restaurant business for some time. We have these chefs who make these toxic cultures to work in, and then there’s all kinds of things like that – the tipping issue – but at the root of all these things, is the labour issue.”

While industry leaders have tried to implement new and creative management strategies to improve the quality of work over the years, labour and living wage always remain at the forefront of systemic hospitality concerns, says Hickl-Szabo.

“We have always sort of neatly ignored the real issue here. But we have avoided the real problem, which is we don’t pay a living wage. Nobody is paid a living wage, and as a result, when people go to restaurants and buy food, it’s been sort of subsidized and [customers] have a warped vision of what it should cost.” 

As hospitality workers and restaurant owners attempt to navigate these current challenges, Hickl-Szabo is focused on preparing the next era of professionals with the skillsets they need to thrive in modern hospitality environments. Szabo says that this starts with being able to think critically. 

“I think employers don’t really care if you are up to date with all the technological development. I mean, you could argue if we are teaching technical stuff today, by the time students are out there, it may be irrelevant anyway,” says Szabo. “What employers want are people who can think on their feet and think critically, so that’s what I try and do.”

Hickl-Szabo says that he firmly believes the industry will eventually pick back up and exist as it once did before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, he encourages students to further their education and remain hopeful. 

“Right now, you may as well be in school. There’s not a lot happening out there. So get your credentials and work on establishing relationships. There’s going to be a point where things suddenly turn and they’re going to improve. It’s critical thinking and being prepared.”

“This is what I tell [students] in the end: humanity has always needed hospitality. In every culture, you can research it. We’ve always needed it, and we’ve always had it. And that isn’t going away. At some point, there will be a resurgence.”