HAMPTON, Va. — It’s been three months since restaurant Smitty's Better Burger closed down and former employees say they’re still struggling to find work.
The Hampton neighborhood staple went up in flames in March.
“You don’t expect to go home one night with a job, wake up the next morning without one," said Susan Roach. “I stood across the street and it was surreal.”
Roach’s father Paul Smith first opened the drive-in burger joint back in the 1950s.
“When I was in high school, this is where everybody hung out,” she said.
For former employees of the restaurant, the past 3 months haven’t been easy.
Ashley Sullivan has been out of work since Smitty’s closed.
“My jaw just hit the floor – it wasn’t real,” Sullivan said. “It’s been pretty hard being a single mother of two children.”
Another former employee, Jamie Boesen has worked at Smitty’s for 19 years - since she was 16 years old.
“Sickening to my stomach. I cried my eyes out,” Boesen said.
“I have five kids. Three of them are mine, two are – one is my niece and nephew I just got out of foster care.”
Both Boesen and Sullivan have been struggling to find work.
They’ve created GoFundMe pages asking people to donate money to help them until Smitty’s opens back up, or they find new jobs.
“I know my employees are struggling and that’s probably the toughest part,” Roach said.
She said there’s still no official timeline for the re-opening but rebuilding efforts are ongoing.
“We haven’t forgotten you guys,” she said.
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