While businesses remain open, the summer months often means many students leave Athens.
Sheldon Andrus, co-owner of OMG! Rotisserie said it was very intentional to hire students who were going to be in town during the summer months at the Court Street location.
OMG! Rotisserie currently has four locations: one at 19 S. Court Street, another at 139 Columbus Road, a food truck and a restaurant in Chillicothe.
The location on Court Street opened in January. Andrus said although the location has not cycled through a summer yet, therefore he expects to lose some business due to many students leaving campus.
Andrus said the only thing that will change about location for the summer is that the Court Street location will not have its 3 a.m. late night Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the Uptown location.
Andrus said overall, he does not lose business over the summer because the Columbus Road location stays pretty active. It also has outdoor seating, while the Court Street location does not.
“I think that’s the cool thing about Columbus Road,” Andrus said. “It is really supported by the businesses that are around it; the car dealerships, the lawyers offices, the doctor's offices and people traveling up and down that road from The Plains to Athens. Columbus Road is pretty consistent throughout the year.”
Adam Bebb, owner of Pita Pit, 8 N. Court St., said that he expects a decrease in sales during the summer.
“The business drops by half and my staff drops by half so it should work out,’ Bebb said.
Bebb said Pita Pit does not have any national advertising, so he will work with employees to advertise for people to come to Pita Pit. The store will also be receiving a few upgrades.
“We’re going to give this place a new look over the summer,” Bebb said. “We’re going to put new paint on, get new countertops and get this place updated. My plan is to focus on the community and the residents that are here.”
A-Town Pies and Fries is a food truck that is commonly seen parked on East Union Street. Owner Brandon Buckley said he sees a decrease in sales when parked on East Union Street due to less students.
“The best time of the year for us is for Uptown here in the fall and the weather stays back for a while,” Buckley said. “This year, it’s been a horrible spring.”
Food trucks have a secret advantage that restaurants do not; they have mobility. Buckley said he travels to a lot of music festivals and fairs for income versus parking on campus. He said he also travels to offices during lunch.
Kona Ice owner Rich Hayes said he spends a lot of his time in the summer at events off campus.
“We do a lot of high schools, we do a lot of Tee Ball tournaments and soccer tournaments,” Hayes said. “We do a lot of outside just on campus.”
Hayes said does park his truck during orientation, which helps with business. He said that, overall, he is not affected by the summer because he is mobile and can take his truck anywhere.
“I can say that I don’t know if I suffer as much as the other food vendors because when it’s really warm, people like something cold,” Hayes said.
