ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A winter storm that brought snow throughout Saturday forced local businesses to decide whether to stay open or close as hazardous conditions kept customers away.
The snow began falling mid-Saturday morning and continued throughout the day, creating slippery road conditions that deterred many people from venturing outside.
“Cold, slippery, slow,” one driver said of the conditions.
Ian Lewis, who was driving in the snow, said road crews appeared better prepared this year.
“Not too bad. I will say they did a lot better with the roads this year, on the highways at least. It looks like they’re trying to stay on top of it, but if you have a four wheel drive vehicle, it’s definitely preferred,” Lewis said.
As few people got onto roads, it also meant businesses had fewer people coming through their doors, if they did open.
“Going into this weekend, we were really concerned about how access on roads would affect our business. Based on previous experience, when we had the big freeze, our guests couldn’t get to us, even though the sun was shining. So, we were concerned how that would impact our reservations. And it did,” said Colleen Vucinovich, the restaurant’s chief teapreneur.
The weather particularly impacted restaurant businesses. Fleur de Thé, a high tea service in Tower Grove South, was scheduled to seat and serve 80 people on Saturday, but saw 90% of reservations cancelled by Friday night.
Fleur de Thé remained open for those who were able to make it in.
“It is what it is. Like, I would much rather my guests be safe than no meal is worth, you know, a life-threatening incident. That just isn’t worth it,” said Vucinovich.
She added, “We thought if other neighbors are walking, we would stay open so that they could come in and have tea and scones with us. We have a reservation that showed up. You know, we’re delighted about that.”
Vucinovich and her daughter were the only two working at the restaurant by Saturday afternoon, as they have a family member who lives near the restaurant they can easily walk to.
Vucinovich said another employee was sent home in the morning after the snow started, because they had a longer drive.
Vucinovich said while this type of weather is typical for the season, many small businesses and restaurants hope it falls on weekdays rather than weekends when they’re busiest.
The cancellations created significant financial strain for the small business.
“For a restaurant, the impact is significant because you’ve actually bought all of that food. You’ve prepped it. And so, there’s huge waste associated with that,” Vucinovich said.
Vucinovich said the weather is one of many challenges facing small businesses during an already difficult period.
“I would really like to create awareness about the fact that a lot of small businesses, particularly direct restaurants, are really struggling,“ she said before pointing to some of the factors. “The government shutdown, which meant that there was significantly less disposable income and people were anxious and concerned. And then, you know, we, and then from that we went into a slow January with bad weather. So, that hurts small businesses substantially.”
Fleur de Thé was among several businesses that closed early Saturday. Vucinovich said while this type of weather is typical for the season, restaurants hope it falls on weekdays rather than weekends when they’re busiest.
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