Shawarma business in London, Ont. missed hungry students during college strike

Store owners near Ontario’s college campuses were also relieved when students returned to classes Tuesday after a five-week faculty strike.

The dispute ended after the provincial government legislated 12,000 striking professors and instructors back to work Monday, sending about 500,000 students back into their classrooms.

Restaurants and food joints near Fanshawe College in London, Ont. felt a noticeable change in traffic and sales during the strike.

Jamal Almasri, manager at Hadi’s Shawarma, said students were not visiting the area, and he believed most live far from the college campus where rent is cheaper.

“We are seeing a drop of 40 to 45 per cent in sales. We still have days when it is close to normal but they are not how we want it to be. We still have a little bit of business but there is a huge drop,” said Almasri in an interview during the strike.

Almasri added they made less food to minimise wastage.

For many students, money was a concern.

Roger Kurian, an international business management student at Fanshawe, wanted the strike to end quickly.

“In terms of tuition fee, we would like to demand a reimbursement for the days which we are missing since each day of our class costs around $100 or more, it will be very helpful for us since we feel the pinch of money we lose everyday,” said Kurian.

Like many students, he was concerned about when the dispute would end. Kurian said he had seven assignments due one week and was not sure what to do.

As the colleges get the classes back on track, Almasri said business is also returning to normal.

He said he has already started to see the usual traffic.