BETTENDORF, Iowa — One of the Quad Cities' oldest restaurants is back open after the coronavirus closed it down. However, the owner of Ross' says she's facing new challenges even while being open.
"We're thinking hundreds of year we'll still be around hopefully," Cynthia Freidhof says.
Ross' is practicing social distancing so the dining room isn't as packed as it could be. Even with customers in the seats, Freidhof says she's struggled to get workers back on staff after being closed.
"We can't get the service quite as good as we can, but we really are working hard at it," she said. "There are people that have been working through all this time. They've been here a long time. There's a real blessing in that."
Freihof says some workers may find more incentive in filing for unemployment right now, especially with that extra $600 a week from the federal government.
The Iowa Workforce Development is seeing that, too. As of last week, it's gotten more than 3,000 notices from employers that some workers are refusing to return to work.
Right now, you don't have to look for work if you were laid-off because of the virus. Plus, 79 percent of Iowans who have gotten unemployment since mid-March have made more than they would've normally working.
"We are in the process of reviewing various options to help employers find the workforce they need now that businesses are starting to reopen, including reinstituting the work search requirement," IWD Director Beth Townsend told News 8 in an email.
As for Freidhof, she says it's her dedicated employees and customers keeping her going.
"We have a lot of positivity with our customers who have been coming here for many, many years. they just make us feel upbeat," she says.
Ross' is hiring a manager, servers, cook and bakers.