Businesses suffer over break

Students who stayed in Orlando during winter break may have noticed that local businesses around UCF were not as busy as other establishments during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.       

Paula Phipps has been the owner of Natura Coffee & Tea, located on Collegiate Way, for 18 months. She said she has certainly noticed a decrease in business, especially compared to sales of previous years during break between semesters.

Although Natura's clientele is generally a mixture of UCF students, Full Sail students and local residents, Phipps said that the majority of their business comes from UCF students while school is in session.

"Sales have actually been worse than summer," she said. "Luckily we draw in locals with our night entertainment, but we have lost our daytime student clientele who would come in to study."

Phipps said that November was a terrible month for Natura Cafe's sales as well.

"We saw a big drop before students even left so I've given up trying to make predictions on what business will be like," Phipps said.      

Along with fewer students in the area, Phipps believes that the recession is also responsible for this lack of business.

"Since the recession, I would say people are more interested in drink specials," Phipps said. "People still come in, but they spend less."

But Phipps is hopeful that business will pick up once spring semester starts and will regain that helpful student daytime business.

"January is usually the busiest time of year," Phipps said. "Students come and spend the money they got from their parents."      

Other UCF businesses make preparations for the decrease in business during the winter break, such as Chad Case, manager of The Pita Pit on Colonial Drive and Alafaya Trail.

He said he has not seen a severe decline in business but nonetheless is accommodating to the economic changes not only brought on by the break, but the recession as well.

"We've been cutting back with labor costs, hours, food ordering, and prep time," Case said. "We also do more shift cutting. We've made a quarter or so less per year since the recession hit and our sales have been consistent with our University location since we opened in August."

During winter break, Pita Pit has also shortened its business hours. When classes are in session they are open Sunday through Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. During winter break however, both Pita Pit locations in the UCF area are only open until midnight.      

Dell Lovejoy, manager of Knight Library, said that the fall semester is usually the bar's busiest time of year due to football season.

"Winter break is always slow, more so than summer. This year was worse than normal, not critical, but certainly noticeable," Lovejoy said. "In the past we have relied on local students from other universities who consider Orlando home during the holidays but due solely to the economy, this has not been the case this year."

Lovejoy said that it is surprising to him that the recession has not severely affected business. He said the main thing he has noticed since the recession hit in 2007 is a big difference in credit card to cash sales. He said he sees less cash, more credit cards.

"I absolutely disagree that bars are recession proof but we have done well," Lovejoy said. "People still like to drink and have a good time."