GENEVA, Ohio — Three weeks after 60-70 mph winds tore through Northeast Ohio, Honeybees Restaurant in Geneva remains closed, leaving its 14 employees out of work.
The storm on March 31 ripped the roof off Honeybees Restaurant, which shares a building with apartment units, The Crystal Cottage and Robot Sero Comics, sending debris across the street and allowing rain to pour into the building.
Crews are working to repair the damage, but the breakfast hotspot has been told it could be closed for six months to a year.
"Now we're just kind of in limbo, waiting," waitress Sarah King said. King told News 5 she has worked on and off at the restaurant for the past 15 years.
As a result, owner Irene Hrisko recently launched a fundraiser to support her staff during the closure. The effort has raised almost $6,000 in three days as of Tuesday afternoon.
"They're already three weeks behind on their bills, they have children, and I'm asking for people to help my employees get back on their feet and get open again," Hrisko said. "I don't want to lose them. I take care of them; they're like my sisters. I'm hoping people out there will help my employees. I'm hoping they don't have to look for a job."
"It's been really tough not knowing what's next," Cook Kayla Schneider said. "You don't want to give up the job if there's an opportunity to come back, but you need to make a living and make wages, so it's been tough to be in that in-between zone."
"You wouldn't have thought such a little storm did such big damage," Cook Maranda DeGennaro said. "This is a second home, and I don't want another second home; I want this one."
In the meantime, Hrisko hopes to move Honeybees into the nearby VFW soon, even if they are only able to open a couple of days a week.
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The owner of the neighboring business, The Crystal Cottage, told News 5 they're still sorting out their plans for a brick-and-mortar operation in the meantime. Robot Zero Comics has temporarily relocated to Madison.
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.
