Photo by Cathy Salustri
Last week, two Gulfport restaurant owners asked if I had time to meet with them. What I learned in that meeting was this — later confirmed by other restaurant owners: Things are bad for Gulfport restaurants right now.*
Why?
Well, a couple of reasons.
Easter Sunday Determines Tourist Season
One, Easter came early this year. Now, if you haven’t worked in the hospitality industry along the Gulf, you may not realize that matters, but it does. Our best tourism comes between Valentine’s Day and Easter Sunday. The later Easter falls in the year, the longer our season, and the more money businesses who rely on those tourists make. These are the weeks where restaurants — and their staff — make the money that will get them through the lean summer months. But when Easter falls on the first week of April, that’s when peak season ends.
Many Canadians Didn’t Vacation Here
A third restaurant owner told me they hadn’t seen most of their Canadian regulars this year. Canadians are protesting the current federal administration’s policies, it seems, with their wallet. Whether you love or hate the current national political direction, recognize that the absence of those Canadian tourists is harming the restaurants we love.
The Cost of Everything is High
In February 2022, we wrote about the rising cost of chicken wings and how it impacted some of our restaurants. Well, it’s not only chicken wings anymore; food costs are up everywhere. This is a double whammy for Gulfport restaurants. Not only are their food costs up, everyone’s paying more for everything. People can’t afford to go out to eat or get drinks as often as they did a few years ago.
The Cost to Restaurants and the Cost to Gulfport
Essentially, this is devastating to businesses as they enter summer, the slowest season. Although the end-of-summer festival, designed years ago to help businesses during the slow season, is approaching, it won’t be enough to help our locally owned family business. (I’m not counting the Dunkin’ or Mickey D’s on Gulfport Boulevard.)
What Can You Do To Support One of Gulfport’s Family-Owned Restaurants?
The great thing about Gulfport is how very Gulfport we can be. When the paper needed help, you all stepped up. But if we hadn’t told you, you wouldn’t have known, and we would have quietly closed our doors. Now we’re asking you to help Gulfport’s struggling, locally, family-owned restaurants, much as you helped us.
Here are five things you can do right now that will help:
- Go out to eat in Gulfport. This one’s easy, right? Especially if you have the money to spend on dining out. But not all of us do. I know the paper’s struggling with its lowest revenue month ever, and other small businesses who advertise with us have had to scale back because they’re not as busy, either. So if you’re fortunate enough to afford a breakfast, lunch, or dinner out, go out to eat.
- Have part of your meal in Gulfport. OK, so you can’t swing a full meal. Trust me, I get that. But can you go out for a drink, or get dessert or appetizers at one of the restaurants? Then please do.
- Buy a gift card. Our reach goes far beyond the printed pages of this newspaper. If you’re reading this from your summer home in another state, or if you visit Gulfport only occasionally, buy a gift card now to use the next time you visit.
- Leave a review. This one helps more than you may realize. Google reviews help the most, so head to Google, find one of our restaurants you love, navigate to “Reviews,” then “Write a Review.”
- Buy their merch! Stella’s sells their coffee cups. Gulfport Brewing currently has some delightful pro-peacock t-shirts. The Wine House sells bottles of wine. O’Maddy’s sells t-shirts. Every dollar helps.
*The Gabber Newspaper did not talk to every restaurant owner. This is an opinion piece based on conversations with several business owners, not a news article. Some restaurants may be thriving — just not any of the ones I talked to.
We’ve compiled a list of Gulfport restaurants who sell gift cards online, with links.
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Did you know: In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council accountable. Read more of our city council coverage, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding.
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