Restaurants across the city could lose millions as result of huge snowstorm, but some plan to stay open as they weather the storm.
Restaurateurs around the city are making game plans on how to handle the possibility of 20 inches of snow falling on Philly this weekend, potentially impacting service well into early next week.
“It’s devastating for most restaurants,” said Ben Fileccia, senior vice president of strategy and engagement for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. “I would anticipate revenue loss of tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars for Philadelphia restaurants over the next few days.”
For smaller restaurants, Fileccia estimated the impact could be around $5,000 a day, while larger spaces could suffer a daily hit of up to $20,000.
The storm, which falls right in the middle of Center City District Restaurant Week, could be the biggest blizzard the city’s seen in a decade or more.
Just the idea of snow can make diners hesitant.
“It’s been over 10 years since we’ve had this much snow predicted,” Fileccia said. “Even a forecast of a couple inches — immediately makes people cancel their reservations.”
Kareem McCafferty, president of The Schulson Collective, which oversees restaurants including Alpen Rose, Double Knot and Via Locusta, said that the restaurant group will be monitoring the weather over the weekend.
Closing down is not out of the question. Ultimately, McCafferty said, the group will make safety the priority when it comes to making decisions.
“For diners, we encourage them to check our websites, [and] more so social channels for the most up-to-date information,” McCafferty said.
Anyone who cannot make their reservation at a Schulson Collective restaurant due to weather will not be penalized for doing so. What’s more, if the restaurants need to shut their doors, diners will be notified through the reservation service Resy. McCafferty added that staff will do their best to rebook guests for another time that’s ideal for them — within reason.
“Alpen Rose, which is one of our boutique steakhouses, is an 11-table restaurant, right? It’s always packed and it books 30 days out, as soon as reservations become available,” McCafferty said. “I can’t say that I’ll be able to promise 7 p.m. on a Saturday on Valentine’s Day.”
Henry Chow, the general manager of Sang Kee in Chinatown, said that his restaurant is also anticipating closing if the weather is as bad as forecasts predict.
