The legendary restaurant Veselka can hardly cope with the influx of those who want to support Ukrainians: managers work 10-12 hours a day
'07.04.2022'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
Vitaliy Desyatnichenko, manager of Ukrainian restaurant Veselka in New York, has been helping the restaurant and its staff get through two years of the ongoing pandemic. Taking inventory was no easy task. Like the staffing table, transmits CNBC
Today, Desyatnichenko faces a new challenge - to cope with unprecedented demand. Locals and tourists have flocked by the thousands to support Veselka and its efforts to donate proceeds to Ukrainian forces since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“I was very surprised by the reaction of the New York community,” says Desyatnichenko, 30. “There is a queue all day from 10 am to 10 pm.”
On the subject: How you can help Ukrainians while in New York
Desyatnichenko says Veselka averaged 600 to 700 visitors per weekday in Manhattan's East Village. Now that number has risen to 1500, effectively doubling the size of the restaurant business. The support from the community has been overwhelming, both in a good and a difficult way.
“On average, a manager's shift lasts about eight to nine hours a day,” says Desyatnichenko. “And these days most of us work 10-12 hour days.”
