Category: Business

Trust The Law Office Of Elizabeth Devolder For Estate Planning

It’s been six months since Elizabeth Devolder launched the Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder, a boutique firm located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75 in New Tampa.

Her divorce from attorney Bryan Devolder, with whom she launched the Devolder Law Firm in 2016, was finalized in December, and Elizabeth began a new journey in her new solo practice in January 2021.

Elizabeth’s new firm handles estate planning and probate matters, the same areas of law she handled as a partner at the previous practice.

“Ultimately, we’re doing the same things,” she explains. “We’re just doing them separately.”

Elizabeth says her new practice has started strong. “I have been very well supported through referrals over the last six months from people in the community.”

Elizabeth earned her law degree at the Tampa campus of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Riverview in 2016 after a successful career in advertising and sales management. She had previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Corporate Communications from the College of Charleston, in South Carolina, in 1997.

The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder’s case manager is Rachael Alexander, who has worked with Elizabeth for the last four years and helped found the new firm. Rachael recently graduated from law school herself and passed the Florida bar exam.

“The firm is already growing,” Elizabeth explains. “With Rachael, you’ll get a very experienced case manager, and we’re currently expanding to also have a legal assistant.”

Elizabeth specializes in helping people get their affairs in order, whether they have recently moved to the state, have a child who just turned 18, need legal advice for long-term care, and many other situations.

She says her services are valuable for everyone.

“Everyone needs a Power of Attorney document to manage (their) financial and practical affairs if they’re ever incapacitated,” she says.

This even applies to young adults, who often think they don’t need estate planning because they don’t yet have an “estate” of their own.

“Even if you have nothing,” says Elizabeth, “you still want to make sure someone has the authority to care for you if something happens (to you).”

If a young adult becomes incapacitated, they need someone to be able to tell companies to stop withdrawing money from their account or stop billing them for services, for example. Companies have a responsibility to protect their customer’s privacy, so Power of Attorney documents are required. Records and decisions about medical care don’t automatically go to a parent once a child turns 18.

“It’s so much more expensive if you don’t have these documents in place,” says Elizabeth.

She also says she has loved living in Florida, since a corporate relocation brought her here in 2006. Her experience and eye for detail means she understands what families need to do to update their estate planning documents to respond to and take advantage of Florida laws.

Elizabeth also is developing a specialty helping artists to protect their legacies and collectors to protect their collections.

*Elizabeth Devolder (left) opened her private firm in Tampa Palms this January.*

For example, she says, what happens if an artist puts art in a gallery and the gallery closes? Can the creditor take the artwork? Or, what happens if you collect art and antiques and leave them to someone who doesn’t recognize the value of these keepsakes? How do you protect the art from “walking off” during a period of incapacity? How do you maximize the value of it and make it more valuable?

“There are a lot of issues with art,” says Elizabeth, “but not a lot of art lawyers.”

Her thoughtful questions have led one of her clients, local artist Mishou Sanchez, to think about things she’s never considered and take actions to protect her body of work.

“I’ve been working with Elizabeth for years now,” says Mishou, “and she’s fantastic, charming, and knowledgeable about navigating this almost uncharted territory of art law.”

Mishou says her art is now included in her estate plan and Elizabeth has helped her to consider new and interesting ideas, especially related to ownership, copyright and social media.

“She’s really smart,” says Mishou, “It’s kind of fantastic to deal with an educated and knowledgeable woman in the industry.”

Elizabeth also helps artists and others understand their digital assets.

“I got interested in that because I have a client who is making a lot of money off of online instructional videos,” Elizabeth says. “The terms of service for the website say his account is cancelled at his death, but a new law was enacted in 2016 that would allow someone to override the terms, if those are written into his (or her) estate planning documents.”

She says this also could include online photos or statements that come to email.

“If you need to get into the iPhone of someone who has passed away, for example, you need special language in your power of attorney and in your will to give very specific authority for that,” she says. “The process has only been in existence since 2016, so if your will is from before 2016, you need to update it to include that language.”

Elizabeth wants the families she helps to be sure their heirs know what they have and how to get it. For electronic content, she says the family needs access to the catalog (or list) of emails, the content of those emails, and to their loved one’s device so they can get information during incapacity or after death.

She also helps clients with asset protection when they’re facing long-term care costs, and serves clients who have assets in bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and non-fundable tokens (NFTs).

“There’s a whole new way to make money that we haven’t considered before,” she says, “and it’s important to consider those things in your estate.”

The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder is located at 5383 Primrose Lake Circle, Suite C, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. It’s open Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call (813) 319-4550 or visit ElizabethDevolderLaw.com.

Devolder

Excel Music Owners Eager To Reopen Doors To Students

At Excel Music in New Tampa, the rooms are cozy and the lessons have always been intimate, as children and adults file in each day to work on honing their musical skills with professional instructors.

But, cozy and intimate don’t work well with Covid-19, so like so many small business owners, John and Sheri Thrasher had to make some drastic adjustments, primarily going virtual with their lessons. It wasn’t easy, but they have survived.

Now, in their 15th year of running Excel Music, which is located in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd., the Thrashers are hopeful things are getting back to the old normal.

“We are starting out by just having all instruments, except voice and wind instruments,” John says. “We’ll start with that and see how comfortable everyone is with it and how things continue to proceed over the summer.”

However, they continue to proceed cautiously, John adds. The school, whose physical building has been closed since March 2020, is hoping to be fully open by the end of this month or in August.

“Like most of the school systems around the country, we’ll want to be back to full in-person lessons by the fall,” he says. “We’ve been maybe accused of being a little overcautious, but that’s always been my nature. (Safety) has always been really important. I just didn’t want our school being responsible for bad things happening to anybody.”

Fortunately, John says, Excel Music’s virtual lessons have been a success. Although often confused with online lessons, which are more like videos that students follow along with, the virtual lessons have kept Excel’s staff of music teachers — all of whom are either university trained (many with Master of Music degrees) or with at least 10 years of study and performing experience — engaged with those receiving lessons.

John says the staff adapted during the pandemic and has now mastered the art of virtual lessons.

“The results we’re seeing from students and hearing from teachers is that the kids are still progressing very well,” he says.

Bill Effingham has been teaching guitar at Excel Music since it opened. He says he would never have considered virtual lessons prior to the pandemic, but now sees it as an additional tool. He says the Thrashers were able to make the transition seamless.

“Considering that everything happened so quickly and last minute and that it was a totally new thing, John and Sheri were right on top of things,” Bill says. “Obviously, I was a little panicky that first week, but I think by week 2 or 3 we were totally transitioned over. They did a great job with it.”

While they may not have the same effectiveness of hands-on, in-person lessons, virtual lessons won’t be completely abandoned by Excel Music once students return to the classrooms. While some parents declined to even try the virtual route, it did offer some convenience to others who, for example, travel during the summer. John estimates that students taking a month off require two months to get back to where they were before.

“It’s been one of these weird things that’s helped us become more fleet of foot,” John says. “We can now adjust more quickly to what students and parents want. That’s probably been the one advantage of us jumping head-first into the virtual lessons.”

However, John says that everyone at Excel is eager to get the classrooms back open.

“We have some wonderful parents and students that stuck it out, and we’re looking forward to getting back to what we’ve always done,” he says.

A Variety Of Programs & Ages

The music school has always offered lessons in voice and practically every instrument, with piano, violin, guitar and drums being the most popular, although quite a few students study brass and woodwind instruments, too — including trumpet, tuba, saxophone and clarinet.

While Excel’s choir program remains on hold for now, John hopes to get the popular pre-school program up and running again this summer. John says the music school has had students as young as 5 years old and as old as the 86-year-old trumpet player who once took lessons at Excel.

Both John and Sheri have strong backgrounds in music, giving them perspective on the value of learning an instrument.

John, who continues to play in a band with friends, was the drummer for country singer Mickey Gilley for many years, which gave him the opportunity to perform on TV on “The Joan Rivers Show,” “Solid Gold” and “Hee-Haw,” as well as on telethons hosted by Lou Rawls and Jerry Lewis. He also played at such venues as the White House and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.

In the 1990s, John and Sheri had success together with a band of their own in Japan called Tz, where he says they sold tens of thousands of CDs.

It was in Japan, where there is a culture that reveres teachers, that led them to start thinking about something like Excel Music, which they opened in 2006.

“There’s so much data about how great studying music is for your brain for spatial learning and big-picture thinking,” John explains. “There are always studies coming out saying that because music is a whole brain activity, when kids learn music, their math and other school skills improve, too.”

Bill is one of two teachers who have been with Excel Music since it opened in 2006, and a number of others have stayed with the Thrashers for five, six, or eight years.

“We definitely have stability,” John says. “We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Like several instructors at Excel Music, Bill teaches and plays gigs. He is in a band called Lorelei On The Rocks (check them out at loreleirocks.com) and hopes to instill in his students the same love of playing that he has had for more than four decades.

“In the beginning, they memorize notes and learn the mechanics,” Bill says. “But, when they start to ‘hear’ the music and a little light bulb goes off and you know they got it, that’s what I love about teaching.”

Soon, John hopes lots of little light bulbs will go off in the heads of local music students who return for in-person lessons.

“We’re just eager to get back to what we usually offer,” John says. “This has been really, really challenging for everybody. “It’s been a trying and learning experience, but like anything that is hard, you grow from it, you learn from it and you’ll be better for it.”

Excel Music, located at 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite I, is still open for virtual lessons only right now. For more information, visit ExcelMusic.org or call (813) 991-1177.

excel music john thrasher

Excellence In Eye Care Expands Focus On Kiddie Eye Care

For nearly 20 years, independent optometrist David Scamard, O.D., has taken care of patients’ eyes in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Even before his practice was called “Excellence In Eye Care,” that’s exactly what he always strived to deliver.

Since 2017, Dr. Scamard’s Excellence In Eye Care, LLC, has been located inside the Costco next to the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56. Prior to that, it was located off of S.R. 54 in Lutz.

He has been practicing much longer than that, however, since he opened his first private practice in New Tampa way back in 2002.

He had previously earned his undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa and earned his Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

Some people who see Dr. Scamard inside Costco have been his patients over the last two decades and originally found him at one of his previous locations.

For example, patient Jill Bonnville and her husband Frank Filippone saw Dr. Scamard for about 10 years when he was located on S.R. 54, but then lost touch. They saw several doctors closer to their home in Town ‘N Country, but every year, when it was time for their exams, Jill would again try to find Dr. Scamard.

Of all the doctors who have tried to help her with her admittedly difficult eyes, Jill says, “He’s the only doctor who nails it the first time, every time.”

And, while it takes her nearly an hour to get to his office, she says it’s worth it.

Jill says she went back to another doctor for several months in a row to get a prescription that would allow her to see better, but that doctor kept getting it wrong.

When she finally found Dr. Scamard again, “I couldn’t believe it,” Jill says. “It was very similar to when I first had to get glasses as a kid. When I put them on, I went, ‘Wow. This is what everything is supposed to look like.’ I didn’t even realize it was that bad until he fixed it.”

Wee Care Eye Care Coming Soon

Coming this fall, Excellence In Eye Care will introduce Wee Care Eye Care, offering a new experience that is focused (no pun intended) on children’s eye care.

While Dr. Scamard has always seen babies and children, the new program will expand the practice’s focus on kids, with a specially-designed, kid-friendly exam room and education targeted at parents.

*Dr. Scamard uses state-of-the-art equipment to elevate his practice beyond just a place to get glasses.*

“A lot of times, parents are under the false impression that their kids’ eyes are being checked thoroughly at school or they can address problems once a child starts having them, but problems are missed in school screenings,” explains Dr. Scamard. “Children think that’s just the way the world looks. They don’t realize they should be able to see better. They could even end up with visual problems, such as a lazy eye, that may never be fully corrected because the visual pathways haven’t formed properly.”

He says that parents should bring their children in for an eye exam once a year and that children’s eyes often change even more quickly than that.

Dr. Scamard also is a charter member of a program called Infant-See. For babies who are at least six months old but not yet one year, Dr. Scamard will do their first eye exam for free. “It takes less than 10 minutes and allows us to check everything out from an optometrist’s point of view.”

New Technology For Sports

Also this fall, Dr. Scamard and his team will introduce a sports vision therapy program for people of all ages to improve their sports performance.

Using a specialized machine called the Sanet Vision Integrator (bottom photo on next page), patients can improve their hand-to-eye coordination and reaction time. Dr. Scamard says it will help athletes in many sports, including baseball, hockey and others.

Eileen Aldrich, the practice’s office manager, who also is an optometric technician, explains, “It will give them better visual perception, such as when to use a racket to hit the ball, and gets them more focused on using vision to reach their training or sports goals.”

The machine hooks up to a large, touch-screen television, which provides exercises for the person being trained to respond to, while they work on balance using a Wii Fit board.

“There’s no one else in the area who has this instrument,” Dr. Scamard says, “so we’re very unique in that regard.”

He says many patients are impressed with all of the latest technology available at Excellence In Eye Care.

For example, Dr. Scamard uses a high-tech retinal imager to view the internal structures of the eyes. He also uses a digital refractor, which he says is faster, more accurate and more efficient than the old-style analog devices, and patients like that they don’t have to have their eyes dilated.

“We’re state of the art,” he says.

The entire process from eye exam to putting the glasses on your face or the contacts in your eyes can be completed right there in Costco. However, while you do not need to be a member of the wholesale club to visit Excellence in Eyecare and have an exam, you do need to be a Costco member to get your glasses and contact lenses from the wholesale giant’s eyewear department right next to the office.

Excellence In Eye Care does not accept vision insurance plans. However, Eileen says, “We do offer a detailed, itemized bill once a patient is seen. The patient can then send that bill to their insurance company for reimbursement.”

Dr. Scamard, Eileen and optometric technician Jill Wagner will do whatever it takes to help you with your eye care needs.

“We want our patients to feel comfortable,” says Dr. Scamard. “We listen to our patients, address their needs, and we take our time with them. We really pride ourselves on making sure our patients are happy — that’s always our goal.”

Jill Bonnville says she is one of those very happy patients.

“He’s very kind, he’s extremely patient,” says Jill. “I ask a lot of questions and he explains both the scientific stuff and what it means. It’s always a nice experience.”

Excellence In Eye Care is located inside the Costco Wesley Chapel Warehouse at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. (on the south side of S.R. 56) in Lutz. The office is open Tuesday and Thursday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 279-7038 or visit ExcellenceInEyecare.net.

Costco excellence in eyecare scamard

Farina Orthodontic Specialists Focused On The Future

Mark Farina, D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine) is one of the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area’s best-known, most respected orthodontists. In his 26 years of creating beautiful smiles locally, Farina Orthodontic Specialists has been responsible for fixing more than 20,000 smiles.

And, not only is he not done yet, Dr. Farina is taking his practice to new heights.

While he already has three offices, including one in Tampa Palms off Amberly Dr. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (that he moved into in 2000), it is his glimmering, modern, cubed building on BBD between the Shops at Wiregrass and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, that has expanded his services and his vision.

The three-floor, 16,000-sq.-ft. building is certainly not your daddy’s dental office, inside or outside. It does, however, reflect the high-tech and futuristic nature of Farina’s practice.

“I wanted to create a building to reflect our thought process of moving into the next 10-20 years,” Dr. Farina says. “It’s modern, clean, and unobtrusive. And, the windows represent a radical transparency, which is something we pride ourselves on with our fees, consultations and allowing parents to come back with their children.”

Farina Orthodontic Specialists operates out of the new building’s first floor, and half of the second floor has offices handling oral maxillofacial surgery, periodontics and implant dentistry (with Dr. Matthew Waite, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Joyce and Dr. James Wilson) and endodontics (root canals) with Dr. Christian Kamaris and Dr. Frank Delgado.

The other half of the second floor will be home to a training facility and administration. The space will offer continuing education for those already working at Farina Orthodontic Specialists and even those at other offices. Dr. Farina says it will have a “Google-like” atmosphere, with an open lounge and classrooms, and should be completed by the fall.

The third floor will be the new home for Communication Corner & More, which is owned by Jill Vought, who specializes in speech and physical therapy.

“My concept was to have a multi-interdisciplinary facility where all the specialties can come together to give a treatment plan and the best possible care to our patients,” Dr. Farina says. “It’s almost like a Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic of dentistry, where we have all the specialists under the same roof.”

As for the thing he is most known for, Dr. Farina continues to offer the best in orthodontic services with the most advanced technology.

Dr. Farina earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Boston College in Boston, MA. He earned his D.M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia and did his post-graduate orthodontic training at New York University in New York City, NY.

He also has received advanced training in the integrated diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, and has served on research teams at both New York University and the University of Pennsylvania to help find new and better ways to solve orthodontic problems.

In fact, he has never stopped looking for the better way.

“We are always trying to polish the diamond,” Dr. Farina says.

It begins with stellar patient service from the first phone call to the consultation and explaining what will be done, taking the patient through the process step by step. A friendly waiting room offers a beverage bar and iPads, which are used for entertainment and for signing in — there is no paperwork.

“It’s about treating everyone really like family,” Dr. Farina says. “We really work hard on our culture. The goal is not to just end up with patients with straight teeth. (We believe) the experience, from start to finish, is what separates us from others.”

*Who needs that dreadful goop when the 3D impressionless scanner (above) at Farina Orthodontic Specialists will create a digital 3D model of your teeth in minutes?*

Patients begin in the 3D Imaging Room, where an i-CAT 3D Machine takes a 3D image of not just the patient’s teeth, but also the bones and airways in their head. The process takes all of five seconds.

The 3D Imaging can help bring clarity to a number of problems, and can help identify red flags like temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which is an irregularity with the temporomandibular joint that causes clicking, popping or just pain and discomfort in the jaw area.

Farina Orthodontic Specialists also treats sleep apnea and snoring, both of which can be the result of an obstructed airway. The imaging also can detect airway development problems in children.

The process combines digital impressions created with the 3D imaging machine and intra- and extra-oral photographs, offering a more complete picture of the patient’s overall oral health.

There’s even an iTero 3D impressionless scanner that will create a digital 3D model of your teeth.

“It avoids having that dreadful goop in your mouth,” Dr. Farina says. “In three minutes, we have a full 3D model that’s far more accurate than your typical mouth impression.”

If that’s not easy enough, the Farina Orthodontic Specialists website (FarinaSmiles.com) offers a Virtual Smile Assessment, where patients can upload a smile selfie and receive a virtual consultation from the comfort of their own homes.

In addition to traditional braces, Farina Orthodontic Specialists uses the Invisalign® brand of clear aligners and has been designated a “Diamond Plus,” or in the top one percent of orthodontic practices in North America with Invisalign patients.

Dr. Farina also offers his own trademarked system, called ClearTech.

“It’s for minor tooth movements and relapses, like maybe if someone didn’t wear their retainer,” he says. “It’s a less expensive option than (Invisalign) , and just as effective. And we control every step of the way.”

Farina Orthodontic Specialists also gives back to the community. Dr. Farina says they are close to launching a “Million Dollar Smiles” initiative, where $1-million worth of smiles will be donated by 2023-24. Those in need and with special circumstances would be nominated and receive free dental care. Dr. Farina already has picked up the bill for a patient who lost their father and a Vietnam vet whose dream it has always been to have a great smile.

“I’ve always been very involved in the community,” he says. “I coached locally, I lived locally and I’ve always had great support from parents. It’s in our core values to help.”

In fact, Dr. Farina speaks of his practice’s Five Core Values often. The practice’s Five Core Values are:

1.) Delivering “WOW,” through service and smiles

2.) Make it simple, get it done

3.) Be present, clear and humble

4.) Encourage and embrace change

5.) One team, one family, one vision

Those core values are a big part of the reason many of his patients keep coming back to Farina Orthodontic Specialists, like Stacey White, who has been going to see Dr. Farina for roughly 10 years.

Both of Stacy’s daughters, Kathryn (now 24) and Hanna (17), got their braces from Dr. Farina. And in fact, Stacy decided to get Invisalign as well, since her teeth had shifted since her childhood braces.

“We just love how great they are with their patients,” Stacy says. “They know their stuff, and they are truly very warm and friendly. ”

While Kathryn was a patient at Dr. Farina’s Tampa Palms office, Stacy and Hanna got to experience the new office in Wesley Chapel and loved it, especially the 3D imagining.

“They really do pride themselves on looking for the next best treatment, not just because it’s cool but because it makes the experience better, faster and easier. That’s really nice.”

For appointments and more information about the Wesley Chapel office (2370 BBD Blvd., Suite A), or any of the three locations of Farina Orthodontic Specialists, call (813) 972-2929 or visit FarinaSmiles.com.

Farina orthondontics

Local Businesses Finding Workers Hard To Come By

*Steve Falabella filled his staff at his new bistro, but it wasn’t easy. (Photo: John C. Cotey)*

The signs are all over — on the front of businesses reducing their hours because they don’t have enough employees, a drive-through posting asking for your patience due to a historic shortage of workers and another sign offering a $500 bonus and a free sub sandwich with every shift.

At places just opened, like the Falabella Family Bistro, there’s no need to post a Now Hiring sign because, well, no one seems to be reading it.

While owner Steve Falabella will be able to open his new bistro in The Grove with (barely) a full staff within the next week or too, he also is opening a second 900º Woodfired Pizza place, like his popular location at the Shops of Wiregrass, right next door.

“If I had to open that today, there’s no way I could,” he says.

Due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the governmental response to it, jobs aren’t hard to come by, but employees are, says Falabella, who owns three businesses in Wesley Chapel.

Here’s the deal: many folks are unwilling to seek work at businesses that don’t pay as much as they currently are getting from unemployment.

At the height of the pandemic, Congress expanded federal unemployment insurance (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation) to $600 a week. It is currently $300 a week, in addition to the Florida’s state-level benefit of $275 weekly (which is typically for 12 weeks, but was extended during the pandemic).

The majority of those on unemployment assistance, then, receive nearly $600 a week, or the equivalent of working 40 hours while being paid $15 an hour.

For anyone paying less than $15/hour, or even more in a lot of cases, it’s tough to compete.

“It’s not just us, it’s the entire country,” says Falabella. “It’s a sensitive topic.”

Falabella chooses his words carefully, as a result. The issue has strong political overtones. While it has increased concerns about the growth of the welfare state, it also has shined a light on what some feel are unfair wages, causing some small business owners to reassess compensation.

However, the level of unemployment pay is keeping some home, instead of in the workforce, says Fallabella.

“It’s not a theory,” says Falabella. “I talk to people I want to hire back that left months ago, and they tell me as soon as the unemployment dries up they’ll be back out there looking (for a job).”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Floridians who receive unemployment benefits will have to provide proof that they’re looking for a job, a requirement that was lifted during the pandemic but expired in May.

Florida also will withdraw from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program on June 26.

“I think it’s pretty clear now, we have an abundance of job openings,” DeSantis says.

Jamie Hess, who owns the Treble Makers Dueling Piano Restaurant & Bar in The Grove, as well as a computer repair shop, says he has been able to keep a full staff but it hasn’t been easy.

He and Falabella, as well as Joe Schembri of the Ice Dreammm Shop, who is opening his second location across the way from Falabella Family Bistro, are contemplating a shared employee program, where workers will train for all three of their restaurants and open up opportunities for them to work more hours if they choose.

“If I can only give someone 30 hours but Steve needs someone, that person can work (10 hours for him and/) or as much as they want,” says Hess. “We want everybody making decent money where they can afford to live.”

Hess, who also owns five Subway restaurants in New York, says the pandemic drove many employees out during the lockdowns, and the lack of employees as the economy rebounds has driven many of his contemporaries out of the restaurant business altogether.

While he says he pays above minimum wage at Treble Makers, pay expectations are “getting a little out of whack.”

He said had lost a bartender recently who said she couldn’t afford to work for only $25 an hour. He thinks the road back to pre-Covid times could be a long one.

“I think it’s going to take a long time,” Hess says. “Once the $300 (weekly federal) bonus goes away, you’ll see more people looking, but it’s probably not going to go back to the way it was.”

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