Over 30 businesses hiring at hospitality job fair Thursday

Dozens of Long Island restaurants, bars and hospitality businesses will be looking to hire staff at Suffolk County's upcoming Long Island Food, Beverage & Hospitality Job Fair in Riverhead Thursday morning.

The hiring event, organized by the Suffolk County Labor Department, is scheduled to host more than 30 local employers in need of workers. The event at the Hotel Indigo, located at 1830 West Main St. in Riverhead, runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

Companies expected to attend include Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club, East End Weddings & Events, Sparkling Pointe Vineyards & Winery, and Twin Fork Beer Co.

The need for food, beverage and hospitality staff remains “a major issue” for employers, especially as the start to the summer tourism season approaches, said Mark Irgang, president of the Long Island Hospitality Association.

“I don’t know where all the hourly staff people went,” said Irgang, who works in hotel management. Since the pandemic’s start, restaurant, bar and hotel owners have struggled to find workers, with many preferring jobs not reliant on tips or requiring face-to-face contact with the public.

Despite those challenges, business has picked up dramatically in hospitality, especially the wedding and catering industry.

“All the people who didn’t have their weddings in 2020, they all pushed it to the end of 2021, to 2022 or 2023,” Irgang said.

“The good news for the catering halls is they’re running out of available days,” he said. “Then again they just don’t have enough staff.”

For more information and to register for Thursday’s job fair, visit https://bit.ly/3uRIZwq