Restaurant Could Close for Up to a Year After Storms

GENEVA, OHIO — Three weeks after destructive storms ripped across northeast Ohio, a Geneva restaurant remains closed with damage so severe it could keep the business shuttered for up to a year.

Honeybees Restaurant, a of the Geneva area for more than 20 years, was heavily damaged when.

the March 31 storms tore the roof off the building. The destruction forced all businesses in the building to close and displaced residents living in the upstairs apartments.

Owner Irene Hrisko described the scene upon returning to the property. "When I came here, my hood is on the side of the building. My roof is on the other side of the building," she said.

Employees Left Jobless

The close of the establishment has left 14 employees without work and no clear timeline for when they can come back. Miranda DeGenaro, a cook at Honeybees for the past year, said the loss hits close to home.

"This is my second home. This is my second family. These are sisters to me — they're everything," DeGenaro said.

Hrisko said crews have to gut the entire building from top to bottom and bring it up to code before anyone can return. The estimated timeline for repairs is six months to a year.

While insurance is expected to cover the structural damage, the extended wait is placing significant hardship on staff who depend on their paychecks — as well as on the residents displaced from the upstairs apartments.

"I don't want to go anywhere else, but unfortunately I may have to. I have children," DeGenaro said.

Hrisko said she is exploring the possibility of opening a temporary location, though nothing has been confirmed. In the meantime, she is asking the community to support her employees during the closure.