Franklin County café celebrates 1 year as social enterprise. How many workers were helped?

Entrepreneurship is in Robert Matlock IV’s blood, so watching three restaurateurs manage the café he works in is inspiring.

Matlock, 32, has been working at Café Overlook on the 16th floor of the Franklin County courthouse since December.

In February, he began his own power washing company, Matlock Powerwashing, and credits some of his recent growth and accomplishments to working at the café.

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The South Side resident was hired to work at the social enterprise, which specializes in workforce development, while on probation and struggling to find an employer who would accept his background.

“When I got there, it just fit perfectly for me,” he said.

The eatery, which serves as a cafeteria for the courthouse, opened in April 2022 and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the establishment has coffee, fresh baked goods, fruit, a salad bar and made-to-order sandwiches.

Nearly 150 people have gone through the café's six-month workforce development program, which trains employees to go into other jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industries locally, said Sangeeta Lakhani, executive director of Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers, a nonprofit that manages the café.

What are the graduates doing now?

So far, some of the graduates have gone on to work for hotels and restaurants. Others have secured jobs at Goodwill, in construction or as dietary aids at retirement communities and childcare facilities, according to Lakhani, who co-founded Service! with Matthew Heaggans (owner of Preston’s: A Burger Joint) and Letha Pugh (co-founder of Bake Me Happy).

Six stayed and are permanent café staff, and a few have begun or are trying to begin their own businesses, she added.

How is Café Overlook funded?

Last year, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners provided $250,000 in funding for the café to Service! and the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services made a $200,000 agreement with Jewish Family Services for workforce recruitment and training services.

At the time, the county said it planned to offer more than $1 million annually over the next three years to support the program.

In May, the commissioners contributed $874,992.51 to the Vincentian Ohio Action Network, which runs Accompanying Returning Citizens with Hope, known as ARCH, to help recruit and support program participants, according to a county spokesman. And late last year they gave $257,811 in funding to ARCH.

When it began: Café Overlook, new courthouse cafeteria, prepares workers for restaurant entrepreneurship

Board of Commissioners President John O’Grady said workforce development is a "sweet spot" for the county, and it's something the community needs and has needed for some time.

"We believe in making sure that folks have all the tools that they need to be able to get back to work and to be employed," he said.

'A soft landing'

Service! works with ARCH and the Economic and Community Development Institute, commonly known as ECDI, to find and train employees who had existing barriers to employment, such as those needing to learn a new skill, get off government benefits or who had a criminal record.

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Working alongside café employees are a case manager and social worker who can help employees get their next job, find housing if they need it, set up childcare and more, Lakhani said.

“We kind of follow through to make sure they have a soft landing,” she said.

Going forward, 15 to 20 employees will come in four times a year, Lakhani said. And, at any given time, the café has 27 to 30 employees. Nearly 50 more people are on a waiting list to work at the café.

What's next for the café?

As the café keeps growing, Service! is hoping to start another phase of its workforce development program, Lakhani said.

That phase will include a more "elevated" dining experience so that employees will have a second step where they learn even more restaurant and food skills, she said. It can also help existing service industry members get more training, learn to work with different equipment and study under local chefs.

There are also plans to make the café an incubator for other culinary businesses.

'They're good with second chances'

Matlock wasn't able to find many other jobs, since he has a felony on his record. But he likes working at the café and plans to stay until he can get his own business up and running.

“I always wanted to be my own boss," he said.

And Matlock has learned patience and gained a sense of stability from working with others.

“They’re good with second chances,” he said of those at the café. “They’re behind you 100%. … And they’re a really good support system. They don’t judge you at all. They’re wonderful people.”

Those interested in the Café Overlook program can fill out a form on its website at cafeoverlook.org/careers.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County courthouse café serves up more than meets the eye