 For the second year in a row,
hurricane season has put several southwest Florida eateries at a
standstill. However, some, like popular chain Mel’s Diner, have
survived with little damage and are now feeding the community in droves.
Naples, FL -- Ralph Desiano, chief operating officer for Mel’s Diner, a
popular southwest-Florida-based restaurant chain, says that although
Hurricane Wilma caused much damage throughout the area, the storm did
not incapacitate the region, as it did in other parts of Florida.
Five of his restaurant company’s ten locations, for example, lost power
during the storm. But only one, the company’s Naples store,
suffered any notable damage – even that location, Desiano notes, will
be up and running as soon as electricity is restored.
“We believe the power will be out anywhere from three days to three
weeks,” said Desiano, “though we expect it to return well before that
three week estimate.”
Other restaurants in the area have not been so lucky, however, claims
Desiano. Many have been forced to shut down because of Hurricane
Wilma’s wrath, and as a result residents have been left with limited
dining options. Because of this, Desiano states, the Mel’s Diners
locations in the Hurricane area left operational after the storm have
been catering to packed dining rooms.
The scenario is similar to what Mel’s Diner locations experienced last
year after the region was ravaged by Hurricane Charley; for that, Mel’s
Diner lowered the prices of select menu items as a means to help feed
storm victims, with $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99 breakfast, lunch and dinner
specials.
If the power is not restored in the area soon, as Desiano hopes, they
will consider running those specials again. For now, they are
serving free coffee at all open locations in the Hurricane zone.
“Last year, when we had the hurricanes, our business actually went up,”
said Desiano. “We were able to get our restaurants up and running
faster than most national companies, probably due to the fact that our
corporate offices and executives are local.”
The San Carlos location, for example, opened the day after Hurricane
Wilma struck, and because it was one of the only operable restaurants
within miles, it tripled its typical sales volume.
“Although we may feel the effects of slower business throughout last
weekend,” said Desiano, “we hope to make up for it by reopening our
restaurants as soon as we can and by our ability to quickly serve a
large volume of customers.”
Founded in 1989 by Chris Karakosta, Mel’s Diner currently owns and
operates ten locations in the region, all of them rooted on family
friend service, comfort foods prepared from scratch and great value.
For more information, please visit www.melsdiners.com.
###
Media Contact:
Quantified Marketing Group
407.936.1010
|
|
|
