Published 2011-01-25T21:42:00Z”/>
Dario Gut
Businesses and restaurants around downtown Chico try to keep busy during the winter break even without the large collection of students to buy their products.
Celestino’s, a popular pizza parlor among students, had a substantial revenue drop in December and January, said owner Enzo Perri. He has noticed a 5 percent decline since last semester.
“Our business won’t get back up until Saturday or Sunday when school is back in session,” he said. “Because of our quick serve, we tend to bounce back quickly.”
With the restaurant being so close to campus, it depends heavily on students and professors from Chico State.
“We lose about 40 percent because of the break mainly because of our location,” Perri said. “However, recently we have been trickling back up to where we were at the start of the year.”
Spencer Handley, a junior graphic design major, is one of many students who love going back to Celestino’s.
“I would spend $40 just on food at restaurants and then drinks for the weekend,” he said. “That’s not even including cigarettes.”
Peeking Chinese Restaurant on West Second Street was also affected by student absences during the winter break.
“We make a lot of our money from renting rooms for parties like on Halloween,” said Vanessa Bautista, a waitress who has been working at Peeking for more than a year. “We are affected by any break since it is a college town.”
Although a five-week break has caused neighboring restaurants to see a drop in sales, other businesses have been thriving.
Tres Hombres Long Bar and Grill still brings in business even without students being the majority of the purchasers.
“January and February are the slower months in the year,” said Manager Spencer Stock.
“The weekends slow down a bit, but the overall business is still good,” Stock said. “Plus this makes room for more parking.”
The Madison Bear Garden also flourished during the break, with people ordering drinks throughout the evening and enjoying “Burger Madness” during the day, Manager John Ehrke said.
Steve Kanner, a Chico State student who worked at The Bear during the break described the venue as “a different crowd” that comes in to eat while students are gone.
“There are a lot more families and older adults who take advantage of this time when students are gone to eat here,” Kanner said. “Also there is less staff available to work hours.”
Even Starbucks on Broadway Street has had a change during the break.
“There have been more business-type adults coming in during the mornings instead of students,” staff member Amber Fisher said. “Also, people don’t hang out as long because they don’t need to study, which means the night shifts are a lot slower.”
Dario Gut can be reached at
