OHIO — A group of veterans and patriots from northeast Ohio are serving their country again. This time, they are helping restaurants battle the pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • The Lunch Bunch supports a new restaurant every Wednesday

  • The group started visiting restaurants when the COVID-19 pandemic began

  • The bunch sings the National Anthem and God Bless America at every lunch

Each week, Mike Bokulich and others gather to honor their country and give a restaurant a helping hand.

"We do this because we like to support local businesses and a year ago when we met, much of the state was shut down. We decided that we were not going to shut down. And every week on Wednesday, the Lunch Bunch gets together at a different restaurant to support local businesses," said Mike Bokulich, a Navy veteran.  

Before the pandemic, the “Lunch Bunch" crew would meet at Ziggy's in Amherst. They decided to branch out to other restaurants like Mission BBQ in Parma. They received a warm welcome from the restaurant.

"We've been to like 30 or 40 restaurants in Vermilion, Amherst, Lorain, Elyria, all around us," said Roger Brownson of Lorain.

The Lunch Bunch started with only a few people. Now there are about 20 members who look forward to seeing their band of brothers each week.

"It's always great to get together. We have a common bond. We still have faith in our country. Things may be a little up and down, but we still have faith in our country," said John Sekletar of Amherst.

The Lunch Bunch is also building a following on social media.

"We have hundreds of people following, wondering where the Lunch Bunch is gonna be each week, and it's just so patriotic. Just now when we did this, my hair stood on end; it almost put me in tears," said Mike Bokulich.  

The bunch plans to head to Lorain for their next lunch. 

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