The 19th Hole restaurant opened at 7 am Monday after staffing issues threatened to close down the restaurant for the rest of the season. Parks Executive Director Andrew Dwyer said on Sunday that veteran staff from the recently shuttered Station restaurant in Kewanee, stepped up to pitch in and get the popular Baker Park eatery back on its feet.
Last week, the restaurant closed for one day and opened for the rest of the week with limited hours after the head cook left due to health issues. That departure left the restaurant with only one part-time cook.
Dwyer said the restaurant’s newest staff members include a manager, a full-time cook, a cook-in-training and several wait staff, one of who will act as a prep cook.
The new employees spent Sunday afternoon at the 19th Hole getting acclimated to the restaurant and its equipment, and as of now, the plan is to continue to open with normal restaurant hours of Monday through Friday, 7am to 9 pm and Saturday and Sunday, 7 am to 8 pm.
Since the head cook’s departure, the restaurant has closed on Sunday at 1 pm, but Dwyer said the hope is to keep it open for evening meals. The plan moving forward could include an afternoon shut down from 1 pm to 4:30 pm, but all of that is still unknown.
Dwyer asks that customers be patient with the new staff, who offered their help after learning about the restaurant’s staffing issues.
“We are pulling together and will remain open, and we just ask that people bear with us. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but we’re looking forward to serving you,” he said.
