‘A lot more people:’ Restaurants projected to exceed pre-pandemic sales

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A restaurant in Jacksonville Beach is expected to exceed its pre-pandemic sales over the Fourth of July weekend, and that’s also the case across the country.

The Fourth of July weekend is in full swing, with the big holiday just a day away.Folks who were in Jacksonville Beach for the celebrations last year were quick to spot the difference.

“More people at the beach,” said 8-year-old Ruby Atchison.

“It is busier, actually,” said neighbor Gage Brickelmaier.

“[It’s] a lot better, a lot more people, sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s bad,” said Sally Zimmerman, who owns a condo here and visits every year.

But Sam Thurman, the manager at Hoptinger, would tell you it’s a good thing.

“Especially the service industry [has] been hurting a lot, so this is big for them,” he explained.

And he says spending is only getting better.

“I would definitely say that we’re back to normal and even more so,” he said. “We’re on track to beat what we were doing the year before that.”

And it’s spilling into restaurants across the country. The National Restaurant Association says sales continue to trend higher, with May’s eating and drinking place sales surpassing pre-pandemic sales of $66.2 billion.

It’s a welcome change of pace for the folks who want to keep Jax Beach festive.

“Love Jax Beach, support it always,” Brickelmaier said.

“Great vibe, a lot of good energy in there,” Thurman pointed out.

“I definitely want to see it thrive,” Zimmerman added.

The National Restaurant Association also says the restaurant industry isn’t fully recovered from the pandemic yet when it comes to normal customer traffic, but it is continuing on an upward trend.

©2021 Cox Media Group