Oak Creek Diner Hoping To Survive Coronavirus Ban

OAK CREEK, WI — Bars and restaurants across Wisconsin are struggling to keep their businesses running after a public health emergency forced the closure of dine-in facilities in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, across Wisconsin.

Terri Jacob is the owner of the Oak Creek Diner, 6874 S. 13th Street. The restaurant opened in 2011 by serving "all-American" food, such as eggs, omelets, burgers, chicken, dinner specials and other favorites you'd see at a diner.

Because of the coronavirus public health emergency, Jacob said the diner is doing curbside service and delivery, but that business has slowed dramatically

"Right now we have about ten customers a day, compared to 400 or 500 a day before this started," she told Patch on Tuesday.

Business has been slow, and Jacob said she had to lay off most of the diner's 28 employees. "I can't afford to keep them on unless [people] start helping small businesses," she said.

Jacob said she's concerned that the people she laid off will struggle to put food on their own table.

"Most of my employees are single moms and they only make $2.33 an hour. So things are not good - worrying about how to put food on the table and paying bills," Jacob said.

Jacob said she hopes the diner will survive through the downturn caused by the coronavirus, but time will tell.

The Oak Creek Diner is not alone.

Business are bearing the brunt of such limitations. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, 940 workers lost their jobs due to layoffs. The losses were all reported on March 23.

The list of layoffs is littered with service workers across a broad spectrum. A look at the March 23 mass layoff list on the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's website tells the story: 112 workers were laid off at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Milwaukee; 155 workers were laid off across multiple restaurants such as Maxies, Blue's Egg, the Black Shoe Bakery and Story Hill Restaurant.

"I know many small business owners and we all are in the same boat," she said.