Business owners across South Florida are trying to weather the excessive heat, both physically and financially.
Rue Zero works at Panther Coffee in Wynwood. She says since late May they’ve seen less customers because of how hot it is outside.
“No one wants to walk around Wynwood because it’s crazy hot,” Zero said. “Typically all these chairs are filled up. There wouldn’t be a single spot for anyone to sit down at, and now it’s kind of slow because of the heat.”
Tuesday was a historic day for South Florida. It was the first time that Miami- Dade and Broward Counties and the Keys were all under an excessive heat warning.
Eric Dorval is an award winning chef and the owner of V Gelato & Cafe in Wynwood. He says owning a frozen dessert business is a plus, especially during the summer months, but lately, his customers aren’t eating outside.
“I noticed a difference between last summer and this summer,” Dorval said. “More inside more inside for sure.”
A recent report from Homebase, a business consulting company, shows extreme heat in the South disrupted consumer habits, reduced foot traffic and translated into people working less in July.
Business owners like Dorval know this excessive heat won’t last forever.
“We have a lot of great loyal customers since we opened up that brave the heat to come down and take to our gelato,” Dorval said.