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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 D E C E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 2 5 F O C U S M I D C O A S T / D OW N E A S T Lobster roll index ere was also less of a lunch crowd at Side Street Café, one of several busi- nesses owned by Jena Young and her husband Jeff. "We hired fewer people this year and, for some people, their hours were cut in the fall when the cruise ships stopped coming," says Young. "We used to be able to maintain the same staff all the way through. But this year, we didn't have the fall bump." Sales of lobster rolls are a good indicator. "at's a lot of what cruise ship passengers buy," she says. "ey shop, then come in for lobster rolls and clam chowder. We tracked it: As the number of cruise ships went down, so did lobsters roll sales." at means fewer lobsters bought from harvesters, too, she notes. Young is thinking about strategies, perhaps looking at staff levels and hours. "We're always thinking ahead about what we need to do reassess and readjust," she says. Fewer transportation needs A business that rents out small, low- speed electric vehicles, similar to golf carts, took an estimated 50% hit from the lack of cruise ship passengers. "is is a significant removal of income," says Eben Salvatore, who owns Acadia Gem with Jeff Young. ere was a slight uptick in the non-ship market. But for cruise pas- sengers specifically, "ey're on foot, they get a vehicle from us, they go up and see the park, come back, eat and shop, then get back on the ship," Salvatore says. "e volume is much different without the passengers." As director of local operations for Ocean Properties Ltd., Salvatore also saw declines in certain segments of the hospitality company, which is based in Florida but own hotels and tourist operations in Bar Harbor. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » H H DOVER-FOXCROFT CORINTH H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H BELFAST ROCHESTER GORHAM PORTLAND LIVERMORE FALLS MEXICO BRUNSWICK AUBURN BOOTHBAY HARBOR DAMARISCOTTA ROCKLAND CAMDEN BUCKSPORT BLUE HILL ELLSWORTH BAR HARBOR CHERRYFIELD MACHIAS CALAIS BELGRADE FAIRFIELD FARMINGTON SKOWHEGAN BANGOR GREENVILLE WATERVILLE WEST ENFIELD OLD TOWN KINGFIELD PALMYRA MADISON MADISON H H H 34 LOCATIONS ACROSS MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE YOUR BUILDING PROJECT PARTNER HAMMONDLUMBER.COM FOURTH GENERATION | FAMILY-OWNED | SINCE 1953 1,200+ EMPLOYEES & GROWING As the number of cruise ships went down, so did lobster roll sales. — Jena Young Side Street Café P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R Jena Young of Side Street Café in Bar Harbor reported that the lunch business was down at Side Street Café, resulting in fewer hires and shortened employee hours.

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