Over the last few years many news and weather organizations have over-dramatized upcoming storms, often to no avail. However, they were right and then some about the recent Winter Storm Jonas, one of the worst in history for many states along the East Coast. As the leading software provider for the restaurant industry, Avero decided to take a look at how the storm affected one major area: New York City restaurant sales.
Compared to the same Saturday and Sunday last year, New York City restaurants did a whopping 78.7% and 24.7% less in restaurant sales, respectively. Many restaurants didn’t even open due to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s call for businesses to close and limited public transportation services, but a good amount stayed open anyway.
One restaurant owner and general manager, Harry Joannides of The Bar Room, decided to remain open both days, and Avero helped him do it.
“We were able to confidently make the decision to open for brunch despite the storm because of Avero’s event-driven insight,” Harry said. “We looked at data from last year’s big winter storm and determined that it would be worth opening for brunch and lunch during this one, but we did have to close the kitchen at 3 p.m. on Saturday to get everyone home safely.”
Check out our monthly Avero Index for more restaurant sales statistics.
