SCARBOROUGH, Maine — As Maine faces high temperatures this week, workers in the restaurant industry are getting creative to beat the heat during their shifts.
While many residents look to avoid cooking at home due to the heat, it's just another busy day for employees at Bill's Pizza in Old Orchard Beach.
"People are at the beach right now, and once they get too hot, we'll get pretty busy," employee Kassi McCauley said. After working at the hot spot for 13 years, she says she's no stranger to a hot summer.
"I like it, because last June, it rained almost every day! So I would take this over the rain, by far," McCauley added.
McCauley says she and her coworkers are working alongside several fans, enough water, and are taking periodic breaks to sit in either their walk-in cooler or air conditioner in the back of the building.
It's a similar story for employees of Ken's Seafood Restaurant in Scarborough, where co-owner Jillian St. Louis says she's expecting extra customers to come in for a bite after cooling off at local beaches.
"You know, 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, we hit our big rush for the night... and people don't want to cook in this heat, and they don't want to have to clean up after themselves, so we'll do all the work for you," St. Louis said.
Planning their schedule, St. Louis says extra help from high schoolers who just got off from school has left enough workers to allow frequent shift breaks—something they like to prioritize for employees.
As well, air conditioning inside their kitchen keeps the cooks cool while they fry up the spot's best-seller: fried clams.
"Lots of water of course, but we keep things rotating, keep things moving all the time, so no one is stuck in one spot for too long," St. Louis said. "We're definitely a team. We work together and share the load."
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's website, employees should make sure to request enough breaks, drink enough water, and build up a tolerance to working in high temperatures to avoid any kind of heat-related illness.