CINCINNATI —

The global supply chain crisis is hitting home in many ways.

There is a number of avenues to explore when it comes to items that are now in short supply. But you know it starts getting serious when you mess with Cincinnati favorites like Graeter's Ice Cream.

"A lot of things we're getting about half of what we should be getting," Chip Graeter said Friday while surveying inventory at the company's Reading Road location.

Richard Graeter recounted how the lid adhesive that attaches to the rim of his ice cream pints was about to appear on the endangered list.

"That would have been a catastrophe," he told us.

Longtime pizza parlors like LaRosa's are feeling the pinch, too.

"Packaging's been really bad," lamented Mike LaRosa at his restaurant on Boudinot. "Paper products and cups. Things like that."

If you're thinking Skyline time sometime soon, don't count on chili ranch dressing. They're also experiencing a cup shortage, though they described both as "mild" situations.

"Like many others in our industry, supply chain issues have mildly disrupted our inventory," said Sarah Sicking, Skyline's vice president of marketing. "Thankfully, it has only affected a few items, including one of our sauces and our supply of cups."

Izzy's, another iconic institution in this city, found out this morning some of the rolls it uses won't be available for another two weeks.

A pack of Gulden's Mustard is another spicy sore point.

"They weren't making packets," said John Geisen at the restaurant on Red Bank Road. "We couldn't get packets for three months. So, I bought 150 cases. We went through that."

Izzy's is famous for its corned beef and its pastrami. It comes out of Detroit. But with a shortage of truck drivers, Geisen had to hit the road. He went up there himself and got it.

Improvise or perish.

That could be the working motto at local staples like Izzy's and Graeter's nowadays. You can still get double-buttered coffee cake there. It usually sits on a square piece of cardboard.

"Those are in short supply," Chip Graeter told us. "We can't get 'em at all."

So, he's using round plastic foam containers until that runs out.

Graeter's does a ton of shipping which takes a lot of dry ice. They are getting about half of what they would normally get.

"We get dry ice twice a week and they've had real big production problems where they make the dry ice," he said.

LaRosa went so far as to post a public apology about shortages. He explained why.

"With social media, we were beginning to see posts from people that you guys are not runnin' the business well, you're out of everything, what's wrong with you guys? So, people were kind of making things up," he said.

He asked for patience.

The businesses are planning ahead for the holidays with no shortage of determination.

"Come hell or high water, we're going to make it happen," Geisen said.

DELHI TWP., OHIO — One longtime local Skyline Chili parlor owner recently showed love for its community by creating a visual ode to the past.

"We basically gutted the entire restaurant," said Joe Lambrinides, owner of Skyline Chili in Delhi Township. "So, from ceiling tiles all the way up to all wiring above the ceiling tiles."

Lambrinides said when he decided to remodel his store starting in February, rather than update the location with new decor and seating, he also wanted to reflect its history and the history of the community it has served for 40 years.

Lambrinides's father opened the parlor on Delhi Avenue in 1980 featuring the first Skyline drive-thru.

"I started working when I was 15," Lambrinides said.

The younger Lambrinides said a longtime employee suggested decorating the chili parlor with historic black and white photos of Delhi Township.

"We were looking around the restaurant, where to put these and how many we wanted," he said.

And then in stepped Kristina Kennel, owner of 31st Designs.

"I knew the Skyline, the Delhi Skyline Chili was under renovation," Kennel said. "I grew up in Delhi."

Kennel said when she was approached to help decorate the interior of the redesigned Skyline, she was honored.

"We wanted to fit as many pictures in there as possible without overwhelming the viewers," she said.

With the help of the Delhi Historical Society, the Lambrinides and Kennel created a mural of 33 photographs illustrating both the community and location's history.

"Of course it's probably because of who I am, but I love the vintage Skyline, the original Delhi Skyling sign," Lambrinides said. "It's unique."

Kennel said she had a few favorite photographs too.

"I love the old fashion cars, of course," Kennel said. "Seeing the prices and the old news ads and newspapers is pretty cool."

She also said where the mural is located holds a special place for her.

"This was our neighborhood Skyline here to go to," Kennel said. "The gazebo was our favorite place to sit."