One St. Armands restaurant lays off entire staff. Unemployment, FEMA, and one charity program kick in.
By Dayana Melendez
Original Air Date: October 18, 2024
Host: In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many hospitality workers are facing job loss and significant challenges. Dayana Melendez spoke with Eleni Sokos, the Executive Vice President of Oyster Rock Hospitality Group, and Philip Lanham, the President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation, to discuss the impact of these storms and how local organizations are stepping up to support affected workers.
Dayana Melendez: Hospitality workers are often among the hardest hit by natural disasters. While many Floridians are returning to work, hundreds of food and beverage employees in Sarasota and Manatee counties are grappling with uncertainty as they try to rebuild their lives.
The water line can be seen at Café L’Europe on St. Armands Circle. Photo: Courtesy Café L’Europe
The widespread damage to restaurants, particularly on the barrier islands, has left many businesses in limbo. The future of both the establishments and the jobs they provide are hanging in the balance.
The hospitality industry, a critical pillar of the local economy, has borne the brunt of the devastation. For many restaurant owners, the storms have forced impossible choices—not only how to repair their physical spaces, but also how to address laying off their teams.
Eleni Sokos, of Oyster Rock Hospitality Group, recounted how the destruction of Café L’Europe on St. Armands Circle led to one of the most difficult decisions in the company’s history.
Eleni Sokos: Unfortunately, we made one of the most difficult decisions of our hospitality group’s 30-year history, and that was to lay off the staff from Café L’Europe. That was the gut punch that followed the devastation to the physical building. The human impact and the emotional weight of all of this is probably the most crushing. But that’s also where we have the biggest opportunity to recover and rebound quickly, by helping others. We’re trying to connect our team members with resources, whether they are grants from FEMA or disaster unemployment from the state. That’s why we made the decision to lay everyone off—so that they would have access to benefits much more quickly. We’ve also partnered with organizations like the Manatee Community Foundation and Southern Smoke Foundation.
DM: The Café L’Europe story is not unique. But a sense of resilience is emerging within the community. As residents navigate the aftermath of the storms, many are finding ways to support one another.
The Southern Smoke Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation are stepping up to provide much-needed relief.
These partners are offering grants and resources to assist displaced workers. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has activated its Rapid Response Fund, awarding over $500,000 in grants to nonprofits delivering essential services to those affected.
Phillip Lanham, the foundation’s President and CEO emphasized the importance of immediate support for food and beverage workers.
Philip Lanham: Yes, I have a special place in my heart for service bartenders and anyone in the hospitality industry. We connected with Southern Smoke Foundation, which does this all year long for food and beverage workers. We were able to make a grant to them, allowing them to award $1,000 to individuals and $1,200 to individuals with families. This cash relief helps them with immediate needs like rent, groceries, and gas. We’re excited that the first dollars will be flowing later this week to these individuals.
DM: The Southern Smoke Foundation is processing applications from throughout the Southeast for aid, reflecting the widespread impact of the storms.
PL: The partner we’re working with, Southern Smoke Foundation, does this nationwide. Helene’s impact was so great that they have over 2,400 applications they’re currently processing. So far in our region, we had 140 individuals apply for relief support through the Southern Smoke Foundation. Those dollars will start flowing this week, but the stories aren’t showing up yet.
DM: This has been Dayana Melendez with WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.