Let it snow? Recent winter weather is providing a needed boost for Columbus restaurants

The snowfall of the year hit Columbus over the weekend, and while much of it didn’t stick, the early winter weather could have a lasting impact on many of the city’s restaurants regardless. While many might initially believe the snow would cause more diners to stay indoors, for many Columbus eateries, the opposite is happening: It’s sparking business.

According to Lisa Bui, owner of the popular Clintonville eatery 6-1-Pho, business on Saturday and Sunday was positively booming, a surge she attributes to the snow.

“This is our time to shine.  It’s definitely pho season pho sure,” she said. “We haven’t stopped since our doors opened. It’s been double [our normal customer volume], if not triple.”

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Bui attributes the surge in business to one of the eatery’s signature menu items, its pho, which is served hot and often viewed as a way to combat the cold, she said.

And it’s not just food drawing Columbusites out during the cold, either. For craft breweries like Antiques on High and Seventh Son, which each boast multiple,  high-end patio fireplaces, the snow actually makes the taprooms a cold-weather attraction.

“We hear people talk about how cozying up by the fireplace in the cold was the reason they came out in the first place,” said Seventh Son Marketing Director Sara Hollabaugh. “We hear it all the time.”

For other eateries though, the snow is a mixed bag. Bac Nguyen, owner of the pan-Asian restaurant Ninja City, agreed that traditional hot dishes are a major selling point during the colder months, but for him they’re often only making up for business that was lost due to the weather in the first place.

“Noodle soups are definitely a big draw in colder months,” he said. “I’d say it keeps us relatively level, meaning the hot soup options help mitigate the loss that we face during the cold months.”

Love it or hate it, the cold weather appears to be here to stay. Let’s bundle up and see how things pan out, Columbus.

If you like this, read: Multiple Clintonville businesses broken into, robbed early Sunday morning

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