ASHTABULA, Ohio — Walk past The Crow's Nest restaurant these days, and someone is almost certainly working inside.
"Some of these guys are coming in at 2 a.m. and starting their day so they can get out for the next round of people," RJ Detore, the restaurant’s general manager and the owner’s son, said. "They're going as fast as they can, as fast as we can."
"All the people that are working here are our customers of ours," co-owner Ron Detore said.
Back on April 10, police say a car slammed into the restaurant at around 3 a.m., killing the driver and sparking a fire that forced the business to close.
The crash killed 52-year-old John Yerkey of Salem, Ohio, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Watch that original story here:
"The structural damage was minimal, but the smoke and water damage was really extensive and a lot more than any of us anticipated," RJ Detore said.
The Crow's Nest opened back in 1992. For co-owner Ron Detore, the whole ordeal has been a test for the family as they work to repair much of the outside, replace the HVAC and ceiling, and clean other parts of the inside of the restaurant as well.
"People don't understand what happens when your business goes down – it's quite overwhelming," Detore said.
For staff members like head waitress Tawnya Housel, the shutdown has taken its toll as well.
"I'm ready to come back to work," she said. "I was a stay at home mom for 11 years. I didn't want to do that. That's why I went back to work. We're all ready."
However, she credits the community outreach with helping bridge the gap for issues like income for her and other staff members.
Over the past three weeks, several different fundraisers have helped generate thousands of dollars, all of it directed to the staff.
"I thought there would be a lot – but not that much," RJ Detore said. "None of that is for us - That is so we can keep the [staff], and when they reopen, they will come back to work for us."
The goal is to reopen within two to two-and-a-half weeks.
"We're pushing and pushing and pushing – if I had put this on another contractor and we didn't run it, it would have been months, but we'll have it in two weeks," co-owner Nick Detore said.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
