Pictured Above: Beaches in the Tampa Bay area typically attract millions of visitors annually.
Courtesy of Michael Alden
By Michael Alden
Restaurants and bars in St. Pete Beach are optimistic about the spring season after seeing a recent increase in visitors.
Tourists and locals alike are heading to the beach as the country rolls out COVID-19 vaccinations.
Jason Bowrey, owner of barbecue restaurant Grillin N Chillin, opened his new location shortly before the pandemic began. He said he has already seen an increase in customers this month.
Courtesy of Michael Alden
“Traffic has definitely picked up,” Bowrey said. “It’s looking good so far. All the businesses on the beach have noticed an influx.”
Bowrey thinks the electric scooters that recently arrived on the beach have been good for business.
“I’ve seen a lot of the younger crowd around because they can just hop on the scooters and go,” Bowrey said.
Despite the negative effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on business, Bowrey says he is thankful he was able to find a beach location for his restaurant before the pandemic started.
Café Soleil French Bakery & Deli, a Parisian style cafe owned by Lauren Chezaud-Diot, has seen more customers return to the restaurant, but less than they typically expect this time of year.
Mary Macrides, the front-of-house manager, said that so far, business is not what it could have been.
“We would normally have lines out the door right now.” Macrides said. “We’re feeling it this year.”.
She is hopeful that the distribution of vaccines will bring locals and vacationers back to the beach.
“We have a huge senior citizen clientele,” Macrides said. “Now as they’re getting their shots they‘re coming back to the cafe and sitting inside. A lot of people in the U.S. are coming to Florida to get away from the cold. We’ve opened up more than other states.”
Macrides said that travel restrictions have prevented many European and Canadian visitors from coming to the beach.
According to the state tourism-marketing agency VisitFlorida, under 87 million people visited the state in 2020, the lowest number of visitors since 2010. The state saw a 34 percent drop in visitors compared to the previous year.
St. Petersburg and nearby beaches typically attract more than 15 million visitors annually, making the area the most visited destination on the Gulf Coast, according to the City of St. Petersburg website.
At The Drunken Clam restaurant and bar, manager Austin Mills said the “season” started earlier than normal this year at their location.
Courtesy of Michael Alden
“We’ve had a lot of people from New York and Pennsylvania come in,” Mills said. “I haven’t seen many young people yet. I think we’ll actually have more people down here than usual.”
In addition to more customers coming through the door, Mills said more people have come in looking for work than usual.
Many universities in Florida and across the country have either canceled or altered their spring breaks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Emily Lahocki, a bartender at The Drunken Clam, anticipates a variety of age groups will be visiting Florida this spring.
“Older people, regardless of coronavirus, want to get out too,” Lahocki said. “People up north who are coming down are sick of being inside from the weather and the virus.”
Pinellas County’s mask ordinance is still in effect and requires both citizens and employees at local businesses to wear a face covering in most indoor places, with a few exceptions.
Restaurant and bar patrons can remove their face coverings while dining or consuming beverages if they are seated at a table and observing social distancing.
