SAN ANTONIO – Some local restaurant owners said sales are down this summer and blame the heat for keeping customers away.
The heat wave and advisories telling people to stay indoors aren’t helping, said Sarah Yee, owner of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.
“For many restaurant owners, the summer season carries the entire year,” she said.
May weather led to great sales, and she was optimistic for the summer. However, Yee said there aren’t many delivery orders so far, and the drivers that pick them up are taking a little bit longer to make those deliveries.
She believes the heat also makes people a little less hungry, as she suggests smaller options to her customers.
“I know it’s hot, but come on out, support your local restaurants. We count on all of your visits to survive,” she said.
Visit San Antonio said it’s too soon to see how tourism numbers are doing because of this heat.
David Gonzalez with Visit San Antonio said there’s a push to keep people who don’t want to travel far for road trips this summer to stay local.
“In San Antonio, we have so many ways to enjoy the city while staying indoors in air-conditioned places,” Gonzalez said. “I can tell you there’s more than 24 cultural institutions in San Antonio.”
Yee expects July and August to be even hotter, and “we’re bracing ourselves as an industry,” she said.