Dining Out: A Casualty Of The Economy

by: Nina Sparano

COLORADO SPRINGS – The sluggish economy is killing the appetite of many Americans who dine out, further perpetuating the struggle for local businesses.

You don’t have to look far for signs of the sluggish economy. Just take a look at the empty tables at Arabica Caf on Tejon Street.

These days we’re all looking for ways to cut corners. For some, that means eating out less. April Kenyon, a customer at Il Vicino also works as a waitress downtown.

“I work in a restaurant so tip wise I don’t have enough money to go eat out,” says Kenyon.

Kamel Elwazeir, owner of Arabica Caf on Tejon Street has seen his business drop significantly over the past 2 months.

“I’ve noticed from talking to business owners on the strip here that biz. Has dropped a lot.”

Arabica caf opened 4 months ago. Elwazeir says his business dropped 40% in the past few weeks.

Il Vicino has been open for business for 12 years. What used to be good business has also been cut in half.

“Typically around 200-300 meals per day in the last couple of weeks have been down about 150-200 meals,” says Roy Newcomb, General Manager of Il Vicino.

For Il Vicino waitress, Rogene Gardner her livelihood depends on tips. The economy is hitting her where it hurts.

“I usually pull in $20 a shift so things are tight, there really tight. I have noticed about a $10 a day drop.”

In order to pull in more money businesses Elwazeir has to think outside the box,

“We took part of the cooking operation outside to captures some of the bar crowd at night. We were here till 4:00 in the morning.”

Change for business is a necessity for survival. Elwazeir says the late night shift is helping to make up for the money lost throughout the day. So far, it’s working.