’Tis the seasoning
Restaurants adapt to summer
By BRYAN F. YURCAN

 

For some restaurants, the summertime means a slight downturn in business, as local residents barbecue at home and travel on vacation.

Some others, such as restaurants that offer waterfront dining or that feature locally grown in-season ingredients, may look at summer as their busy season.

“There are a lot of businesses that slow down in the summer, but it all depends,” said Rich Stytzer, president of the Westchester-Rockland chapter of the New York Restaurant Association and vice-president of Antun’s of Westchester in Elmsford.

He said the Westchester-Rockland chapter does not conduct many meetings or events during the summer due to it being a generally slow season. A June clambake at a yet-undetermined location is the only event scheduled for the group so far.

Stytzer said the spring and early summer, specifically May and June, are generally the busiest time for local restaurants.

“You have weddings and graduations, things like that,” he said. “After that, it slows down a bit, and usually picks up in September.”

It also helps when there are events that bring in a large amount of tourists to the area, such as last year’s Empire State Games which took place in Westchester County.

That event drew an estimated 20,000 athletes and spectators to the area, and provided a summertime shot in the arm to many eateries.

The summer season can also be a boon to some restaurants for other reasons, Stytzer said.

“It depends on what type of restaurant you are and where you’re located,” he said. “Restaurants that are closer to the river, or parks and lakes, can do pretty well during the summer.”

Flames Steakhouse in Briarcliff Manor, generally sees its business grow in the summer, offering an outdoor dining section and proximity to several golf courses, said its owner Nickolla Vuli.

“We usually do better from May to September,” he said.

Vuli said many diners come to enjoy the patio section that is open during the summer months when the weather is nicer.

He said many of the duffers playing nearby golf courses also stop by after shooting 18 holes during a summer afternoon.

“We get a lot of business from them,” he said.

Some restaurants also take advantage of the Hudson Valley harvest that bears fruit during the spring and summer.

David Barber, owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, said his restaurant is known for featuring locally grown ingredients in its dishes.

“Summer is a strong season for us, because of what people have come to know us for,” he said. “And that’s celebrating food from the Hudson Valley. A lot of people seek us out for that reason”

Barber said the restaurant tries to use as much locally grown food as possible throughout the year, but it’s in the summer when much of it is in season.

“We try and get ingredients from Hudson Valley farms as much as we can,” he said. “The choices on the menu are much more exciting. This is the time of year when we get to enjoy what the valley has to offer.”

 

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