WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- On day four of a heat wave, restaurant employees in Western Massachusetts have been contending with triple-digit temperatures on the kitchen line, even inside air-conditioned buildings.

At White Hut in West Springfield, supervisor Mike Hiller said the air conditioning has been circulating well throughout the dining area, but workers stationed near grills and hot equipment have faced a different reality. “The cooler in the back, I’ll let people go in there for a few minutes at a time. It’s a nice temp, 30 degrees lower back there. We’ve been using some of our rags and turning them into makeshift cold pads,” he explained.

Hiller added adjusting cooking temperatures is not an option. “You can’t change the temp of the food unless you want to sacrifice the food safety. I can’t, unfortunately, lower the grill,” he noted.

On the business side, Hiller said the heat wave has driven more customers through the door, particularly for milkshakes, including a limited-time s’mores option. “We’ve gone through at least a week’s worth of ice cream in about two days, so it’s been pretty hot,” he said.

White Hut will be closed Saturday, giving grill workers a brief break from the heat.

This week has also been busy at Giovanni’s Pizza in Chicopee. Front manager Mindy Gagnon said customers are ordering in to avoid generating more heat at home. “With our customers being so hot, they don’t want to cook (and) they don’t want to grill, so we do a lot of orders for them,” she explained.

Despite three air conditioners running on full blast and two fans positioned at the pizza station, the outside heat has remained difficult to overcome. Gagnon said staff have been rotating workers and responding quickly when anyone needs water or ice.

“We try to keep them on and rotating as best as possible to keep our cooks as cool as possible. Any time that they yell out that they need water or ice, myself or any of my co-workers try to help them out as best we can,” she added.

Gagnon said food quality has not been affected and will not change as the heat continues through the holiday weekend. “We keep everything fresh, we keep everything cool and (at the) right temperature, and really, we just try to make sure that our customers stay as happy as they can in this heat,” she noted.

The First Alert Weather team expects the heat wave to break Sunday, with temperatures expected in the mid-80s.

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