The Search for good help ends at Emerge
“Whoever thought of this was a genius!” — Don Beard, owner of Peach’s Grille, Yellow Springs. “This is what it takes for employers these days!” (Christine Beard pictured above)
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YELLOW SPRINGS — In the wake of COVID-19, finding good help is harder than ever. Two longtime local business owners in the village here understand this better than anyone.
Don Beard and his wife, Christine Monroe-Beard, say they’ve been in the restaurant business for nearly 27 years. After the recent pandemic, they said, finding good help has been an even greater challenge. Job applicants are fewer than before. And those who do apply often come with a sense of entitlement.
The Beards own two well-known community staples in Yellow Springs — Peach’s Grille, at 104 Xenia Ave., and the historic Ye Olde at Trail Tavern, 228 Xenia Ave. The latter of the two, the Tavern, has been around for almost 140 years.
“We’ve always wanted to hire people in recovery or people trying to gain re-entry, but we’ve never been able to until now,” Don Beard said. “The guys we have working for us from Emerge have been great help!”
Starting five years ago, Beard said they reached out to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction looking to hire people leaving the prison system.
“We needed bodies, we need people who need jobs, and they couldn’t do anything for us so we eventually gave up on that,” Beard said. “We were wanting to employ people, but they couldn’t help us.”
Then one day, Beard said, the residents of Emerge started showing up.
“We had a couple of your guys come in and apply,” Beard said. “The first guy came in four months ago. My wife runs the Tavern, and I run Peaches. She hired the first guy, who has worked out great. Overall, we’ve had five people from Emerge and they’ve all worked out great.”
Prior to this sudden influx of hardworking help, Beard said he had never heard about Emerge.
“I wanted to find out more, so I called, and I spoke with Elaine Bonner (director of philanthropy),” he said. “We are very pleased.”
Overall, the Beards employ about 45 people at Peach’s and 40 people at the Trail Tavern.
“These are both very busy restaurants, so the help is needed,” he said. “One of the guys has been absolutely amazing and has earned his way up into a very trusted position. He works as a janitor and picks up shifts on a last-minute notice. He’s been amazing!”
The other guys, he said, work as dishwashers and cooks.
“Based on everything I’ve heard about Emerge, it sounds like a good formula,” Beard said. “From what I understand, several area business owners got together to do this to help them and train them to possibly work for them. That’s ingenious! That’s what it takes for employers these days! It’s very hard to hire, especially after Covid. We also come across this mentality with a lot of people — I almost want to say it’s entitlement. I have a hard time finding motivated employees, so this is ingenious.”
Beard and his wife own other businesses in Yellow Springs. They have lived in the village their entire lives. They have two kids.
Other stories about the Beards and their businesses:
https://ysnews.com/news/2017/02/olde-tavern-gets-new-owners
https://ysnews.com/news/2017/06/historic-trail-tavern-to-reopen-after-rehab
https://ysnews.com/news/2020/12/virus-impact-grows-in-yellow-springs