CLEVELAND — Ohio restaurants are in need of help and owners are willing to pay.

The eggs are cracking as Ken Hatfield gets some breakfast ready. The owner and chef at Hatfield’s Goode Grub also gets a brisket ready and takes it to the oven — staying plenty busy during the last couple weeks. 

“I got one of those fancy watches that tells you how many steps that you do and all that,” Hatfield said. “My average standing time for the last few weeks has been 17 hours a day. In this little space that you see right here, this little line, it told me I walked on Saturday, I walked 12-and-a-half miles in 8 foot of space.”

The five-year business owner has a degree in fine arts, but now this is the art he’s passionate about. 

“If you look around, I built this place, I started from a food truck and I’ve turned it into a 10,000-square-foot facility,” he said. “I love what I do, I love watching the reactions on people’s faces when they get a chicken omelet or they eat one my burgers.” 

But he and many restaurant owners are struggling to find workers to share that love.

The President of the Ohio Restaurant Association recently published an article about the issue. He said a shift to different industries, COVID-19 concerns and expanded unemployment benefits are some of the main drivers. 

Ken Hatfield said he's missed out on thousands of dollars in business in just the past few weeks because he didn’t have the staff for food truck events.

“If you work somewhere and have unemployment from there and you’re getting the extra $300 a month or week from unemployment, they’d rather stay home,” said Hatfield.

But as he cooks through the storm, he’s optimistic restaurants will push through. 

“I’ve got a great crew, great staff that works with me now,” said Hatfield. “I don’t know why there’s any unemployment rate right now, because there’s so many places that are hiring. I’m hiring, next door’s hiring, down the street is hiring, everybody in this neighborhood, every food truck that I know is hiring. If you want to work, the food industry is where to go.” 

The restaurant owners will continue doing what they love, hoping others help them cook up that same passion.