Heavy rains and flash flooding in Baton Rouge this morning shuttered local schools and government offices. And while a number of local businesses followed suit, many restaurants decided to open their doors—though they weren’t exactly flooded with customers.
“It definitely killed business, that’s for sure,” says Ray vanMerrienboer, owner of Red Zeppelin Pizza at 4395 Perkins Road. “I’m sure my lunch is down at least 50%. Most of my business was to go, and it wasn’t even good business.”
The trickle of customers was even slower at The Kolache Kitchen’s location at 7930 Jefferson Hwy., where the breakfast rush between 6 and 9:30 a.m. accounts for the bulk of daily receipts. But with two stretches of Jefferson near the Jefferson Place-Bocage neighborhood closed to traffic due to high water during those hours—on both sides of where the restaurant is located—sales mostly came from police and firefighters who were in the area.
“It kind of crippled us this morning. We were probably off 65 to 75 percent,” says owner Will Edwards, adding sales at The Kolache Kitchen at 4245 Nicholson Drive were also off by 25% to 35%.
Inclement weather isn’t always a drain on sales, and that’s why Zippy’s Burritos owner Neal Hendrick didn’t hesitate to start prepping for his usual lunchtime opening early this morning after several employees got stranded at home. Hendrick normally gets to his bar and restaurant at 3155 Perkins Road around noon, but this morning he hit the kitchen around 9 a.m.
“We’re always open, and it’s really helped out business over the years,” Hendrick says, pointing to a 20% increase in sales a few years ago when Baton Rouge was essentially shut down by an unusual snow event.
And when hurricanes and tropical storms leave many people in the Perkins Road overpass neighborhood at home and without power, sales can be up as much as 30%, he says. Plus, customers tend to tip more on days like today to show their appreciation for employees when most everyone else is off, Hendrick says.
But that wasn’t exactly the case early this afternoon at Red Zeppelin, where one waitress was sent home after amassing a mere $20 in tips during the normally busy lunch hours. And vanMerrienboer isn’t holding out much hope that tonight’s sales will be a whole lot better.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be just about all to-go orders tonight,” he says. “I mean, who wants to go out and eat in this?”
—Alexandria Burris and Steve Sanoski
