CLEVELAND —  A continued chicken shortage looms nationwide due to increased demand and supply chain disruptions.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio farmers produce 526 million pounds of chicken annually

  • Boss Chick N Beer share its struggles during the chicken shortage

  • Created a whole vegan menu with surplus produce

But Boss Chick N Beer in Cleveland has been able to keep its inventory stocked thanks to a few of its business practices.

Owner Heather Doeberling said sourcing poultry locally has been helpful.

“We just made that really clear to our suppliers and our distributors that we’re not going to look for a cheaper chicken, we’re not going to look for chicken anywhere else, we’re not going try to outsource this," she said.

Doeberling gets her birds from Case Farms in Canton and said their relationship through the pandemic led to problem-solving collaboration.

Ohio's egg and chicken farms contribute significantly to the state's economy, with chicken farms producing 526 million pounds of chicken annually, according to the Ohio Poultry Association.

However, the pandemic created shortages of many goods and staffing.

“Just like your favorite restaurant is having trouble getting employees and distribution, the same thing is true for the agriculture sector as well," said Jim Chakeres, the executive vice [resident of the OPA.

Doeberling said her employees are another reason her restaurant has had the ability to keep enough supply of chicken.

"We have 15 employees and we all take care of each other," said Doeberling. "They don’t waste, we really respect the product and it’s a great product every time.  So, because of that we can run things really slim. I know exactly how much we need and really never run out."

Despite poultry’s nationwide supply chain issues, Doeberling said her produce provider had too much inventory, so she got creative with her resources.

"Our produce company had a lot of things that are perishable and they were going to have to throw it away, so we said, 'OK, well since we can’t get the products that we really need let’s expand our menu to include more things that we don’t already have, that are produce, and we ended up coming up with a whole vegan menu."

During a time when nothing is guaranteed, employees at this restaurant said they can lean on each other for support.

"We are into connecting with people. We don’t have WiFi, we want you to talk to us. We want everybody to come in and be friends and I think that’s just it. It’s really about the connection and when people taste our food, you can taste what goes into it.”

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