Neighborhood bars benefit as blizzard relief
Not even 24 hours into the snowstormand cabin fever has struck Mark Manning and his friends, Fred Freibott and George Hobbs.
The sure cure was to meet at Kelly's Logan House in Wilmington's Trolley Square neighborhood for some adult beverages.
"This is kind of a tradition. We do a little snow get together," said Manning, a former meteorologist who was regaling his buddies with information on the storm, which they turned into jokes. "We've come here a couple of times over the last couple of years for snow days. It's called cabin fever."
During snow storms, pubs and restaurants in pedestrian-friendly areas tend to see an uptick in business that other businesses don't, a trend driven by people looking for something to do or who are bored of being pent up at home.
"People are getting cabin fever, looking for places where they can hunker down in a communal way," said Carrie Leishman, president and chief executive officer of the Delaware Restaurant Association, a trade group. "Sometimes it's fun in a neighborhood like that."
What are you binge watching during the storm?
But whether a pub will be open depends on where the business is located and if road restrictions are in place, such as the one Gov. Jack Markell imposed during this storm allowing only essential workers to drive in most of the state.
"That definitely has an impact," Leishman said. "It's amazing how much a weather forecast and then declarations of limited or state of emergency affect business."
Restaurateur Carl Georigi said snow storms don't tend to help his businesses. That's because his restaurants -- Eclipse Bistro in Wilmington, Redfire in Hockessin, Capers & Lemons in Mill Creek area and Taverna in downtown Newark -- are not places most people would walk to.
"We're more of a restaurant destination that has bars," he said. "Not so much of a bar destination where people just hover and drink."
Where businesses like Georigi's tend to do better is before and after storms.
"We definitely see at all of our restaurants a spike in business prior and once everybody shovels themselves out," he said. "But during the storm and when it's actually snowing, we don't."
Location definitely matters.
Places such as Ernst & Scott Taproom in Wilmington's downtown see residents who live in the apartments above them drop by -- some wearing pajamas and slippers. Añejo Mexican Grill & Tequila Bar, knowing nearby residents will be looking for things to do, let it be known on social media that they would be open during the snow storm.
"In Trolley Square, it's usually a pretty busy day," said Lo Skarda, a bartender at Añejo. "When the snow starts falling and all the streets close down, it's usually overrun by people coming out to party a little bit in the day."
Skarda said it's usually a fun day because no one has to report anywhere.
That seemed to be the case for Alex Kaplan, who was with his girlfriend, Naomi Katz, at Catherine Rooney's Saturday. Kaplan had been scheduled to work, but when his business closed for the day, he and Katz decided to leave home, have a drink and watch some soccer.
"When I found out last night that I wasn't working I figured, 'Make the most of the day off. Come out and have fun' " he said.
While Kaplan said this was his first time heading to a pub during a snow storm, Katz said she did this while attending college in Ohio -- where there's a lot more snow than in Delaware. Storms tend to bring out a different crowd than what usually fills a bar, Katz said.
"You know that people that go out on days when it's snowy like this, they're always interesting people," she said. "It's a different vibe when it's snowy and the weather is bad."
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.