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DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) – At any patio bar during happy hour, one shot people don’t want is a shot of cold air.
Ryan Palmer would rather be sitting outside than in. “Absolutely. In fact last week I rode my motorcycle. I wouldn’t consider doing that today.”
Palmer has been coming to Dodie’s Reef on lower Greenville for years. “It’s the nature of Texas, you get whiplash.”
Nothing kills a business buzz at the patio bar more than old man winter.
(credit: CBSDFW.COM)
Rachel Davis is the General Manager at Dodie’s Reef. “Normally, because we have the indoor/outdoor bar where our windows roll up, at least by 2:30 to 3:00 on Friday, we have a full bar, and we’re starting to get out happy hour patio table.”
Davis says this week business is down by a third from what it is normally. At the Blue Goose next door, receipts are also down a third this week. And at the Henderson Tap House, business has dropped by half.
(credit: CBSDFW.COM)
Davis says, “It’s hard to drink a frozen hurricane when it’s this cold.” When you’re frozen? “Yeah exactly.”
It’s not just restaurants and bars. Officials at the Dallas Zoo say they’ve seen a slight dip in attendance since the temperatures dropped.
At the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden though, the chilly weather has gotten people into the holiday spirit, as crowds want to get a sneak peek of the new Christmas display set to open Sunday night.
Back at Dodie’s Reef, the cold weather and fewer customers also hit employees hard. Davis said, “We’re having to send home some hourly cooks ans also a bunch of our girls. They work for tips and when there’s no customers, they’re not making much money, and Christmas is around the corner and I know people are trying to save.”
The good news they say is that Christmas parties are around the corner, which means business will heat up.
Follow Jack on Twitter: @cbs11jack
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