Melissa Poland: Keeping Morale Up at Sweet Melissa’s

Sweet Melissa’s Good Eats owner Melissa Poland is hanging tough. You can read more about her Boardman restaurant at its website.

What are some ways the COVID-19 outbreak has changed your work life?

This whole situation is so hard for all of us to wrap our heads around. Of course, we were affected when our 28-seat dining room was closed. On any given day, our dining room is filled with patrons throughout the lunch hours … and having a dark room with no activity this past week was odd and unsettling. But we still were able to serve our customers through carry-out and our online ordering service.

I had to adjust hours, rearrange everyone’s jobs, ask for volunteers who wanted to take a day off. I usually have a full staff of at least 10 people in the kitchen to make the operation fluent. This past week, we all took on more responsibilities to make things work and complete customers’ orders.

How about your personal life? 

Personally, my mom is in a memory-care facility in Dover, Ohio. I drive to Dover every Wednesday to spend time with her and I received a text from her facility they were locked down indefinitely. It does weigh on my mind heavily but her safety is a priority for me so I do understand … but I really hate not spending time with her.

What steps are you taking to hang tough? 

Keeping up the morale for my employees. These people are amazing and I couldn’t do this without them. I’ve always been pretty flexible with their personal and family needs and I continue to do this especially now! I completely understand if any of them feel uncertain about coming to work and I’ve made sure all of my employees know I’m good with their decision. This too shall pass, and we’ll get back to normal eventually.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love? 

This is uncharted water for everyone but if we remain calm and do what’s asked of us, we’re that much closer to getting a hold of this virus, and stopping it. I’ve told my kids this many times. Actions speak louder than words. I stay calm for them so they remain calm.