Cape Cod Business Owners Hope To Extend Summer Season Through October
ORLEANS (CBS) - Take a stroll around A Little Inn On Pleasant Bay and you might forget that there is a pandemic. Sisters and co-owners of the Orleans inn, Pamela Adam and Sandra Palmer, say their phones have been ringing off the hook lately as they attract a new type of visitor to their charming grounds.
"And it's all local. It's Boston, New York, New Jersey," Adam said.
Many Cape Cod businesses are hoping to finish out the summer season strong after a stunted beginning due to the pandemic. Earlier this week, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign called Second Summer to attract visitors to stay through mid-October.
Many restaurants are hoping an extended season can lessen the damage caused by coronavirus related expenses. Some Cape restaurants have also had to deal with fewer staff and fewer work days due to a temporary ban on work visas.
"Our gross income is almost up to 50 percent of what it was and our payroll is maybe down 10 percent," said Guillermo Yingling, co-owner of Bubula's in Provincetown and other Cape Cod restaurants.
David Delancey, the owner of The Lobster Trap in Bourne says his restaurant has been packed almost every night. He hopes the buzz will continue well past Labor Day.
"This year isn't going to be a record breaker but it wasn't as disastrous as we had forecasted," Delancey said.
What will happen when colder weather comes is anyone guess. Well-established restaurants may survive but Yingling worries that others will not.
"Newer restaurants or restaurants that were already struggling aren't going to be here next year," he said.
