Ken Feinberg knows about the talk on the street.

He is aware that businesses and individuals along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama are frustrated, angry, and many are on the verge of losing it all.

While the man who was placed in charge of administering the $20 billion fund through the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is in Orange Beach this morning to talk face to face with those affected, many are hoping he will bring more with him than just words. People need a check.

All along the coast, there is fear that this off-season could mean the end for some local businesses. That includes well-established businesses that have been here for years.

Jeff Price and his wife Ashley Ouellette, proprietors of the Gulf Shores Steamer have been in business on the island for more than two decades. National magazines and well-known newspapers such as Southern Living, Coastal Living and USA Today have featured the popular restaurant, calling it one of the top seafood establishments along the coast.

On April 15, the couple relocated their business from Gulf Shores to SanRoc Cay in Orange Beach, in order to enhance their business.

“We moved here to do better,” said Price. “We were expecting a record year, and even on Memorial Day weekend we had good positive signs of what could have been, but after the media got a hold of the oil on the beach, it’s been like winter time all summer.”

Despite filing a  business claim months ago, turning in all of the required paperwork and following the guidelines put in place by BP, the Gulf Shores Steamer is still waiting on a check.

“Our original claim was filed by our attorney on the second of June,” Price explained. “From what I understand it went through Hammond, La. We gave them sales from this year, sales for the same time period from the previous four years, and a profit and loss statement.”

So how long before BP contacted Price to let him know his file was being taken care of? It never happened.

“We never heard from BP. There was no contact whatsoever. Not a letter, no acknowledgment that the claim had been filed, absolutely nothing.”

To make matters worse, when Ken Feinberg took over on Aug. 23, there was no longer a record that the Gulf Shores Steamer had even filed a claim.

“They told us that there was no record or documentation that we had even filed a claim,” Price said.

Since it appeared that the process was going to have to start all over again, Price and Ouellette decided to also file a personal claim along with their business claim, since the business was also their livelihood.

“We decided since we had received nothing on our business claim, to wait and submit our personal claim after Feinberg took over.”

This time, Price and Ouellette got a letter telling them that they had no supporting documentation for their claim.

“I had made previous calls and they told me that they had everything they needed, so after we received that letter, I took all of my information back to the local office here in Orange Beach, they rescanned it, and two days ago, we had a deposit put in our account.”

But that was their personal claim. When it came to their business losses which total over a half million dollars, their overhead, their payroll, their increased cost in food products, still, the Gulf Shores Steamer is waiting on help from BP, the oil giant who caused the crisis.

“Now all we can do is take the money from our personal claim and put it back into our business in order to keep it running. When the business claim is finally paid, if it ever is, then maybe we can reimburse ourselves.”

What will happen to the Gulf Shores Steamer if the claims check doesn’t come soon? Price says he thinks they will make it, but it won’t be easy.

“Everything is tight. The money that is usually in the bank to help us get through the winter is just not there. We’ll make it, but we are robbing Peter to pay Paul, and that can only go on for so long.”

Price said he is hopeful that next season will be as prosperous as this summer was expected to be, but there is always a chance that effects from the oil spill will linger.

“We feel good about our location but as far as the public perception, once you get a sting like this, I’m afraid it might stick around with us for a while. I hope it doesn’t. This summer people found other areas to vacation, and who knows how long it will take to get them back.”

As for the job local officials have done to help keep things alive, Price says he is very impressed.

“The City of Orange Beach has been on top of this and we have seen nothing but good things from them. I know they are as frustrated as we are.”

Price is confident that he will make it through. It is likely, however, that unless a check arrives in the mail very soon, others won’t.