As the temperature heats up, so does area restaurant business.
Behind only the construction industry, the restaurant industry is the second largest creator of summer jobs. This summer, the National Restaurant Association expects Illinois restaurants to add nearly 19,900 jobs. Iowa restaurants are expected to create 5,000.
Managers at Ubriaco's Trattoria, a new Italian restaurant in Davenport's East Village, are hoping to cash in on the seasonal boost in business.
"Summer is probably the busiest time of the year," said manager Shawn Holm, who has spent nearly 12 years in the restaurant industry. "We are hiring for kitchen staff, restaurant, bar... everything."
Ubriaco's hopes to hire around 10 more employees for the summer season.
The National Restaurant Association credits an improving economy and pent-up demand for the increase in business and hiring. At Rudy's Tacos, managers hope a new rooftop patio will also payoff this season, as the option to dine al fresco expands capacity.
"For this summer, being a new season and a new monster to attack with the outdoor patio and upstairs, yeah, we about doubled our server staff," said bar manager Skip Fisher.
This season is also expected to be only the second summer on record with a gain of at least a half-million restaurant jobs across the country.