DES MOINES, Iowa– Extreme heat and muggy conditions forced the owner of two of Des Moines’ best-known restaurants to make a difficult decision: close the doors to protect employees.
Both Lua Brewing and Either/Or closed early on Sunday afternoon and remained that way on Monday after temperatures inside their kitchens climbed above 100 degrees, according to owner Scott Selix.
Selix said that asking employees to work in those conditions was not worth the risk and did not align with the company’s core mission.
“Standing over a fryer, standing over a griddle, standing over an oven- it gets over a hundred degrees in kitchens no matter what your air conditioning situation is,” he told WHO 13. “And so asking our staff to stand back there, it just felt unsafe.”…