Triple-digit heatwave puts strain on Houston-area restaurants

HOUSTON - Houston’s heat wave is doing a number on local restaurants as area small business owners dish out quite a bit of money in an effort to stay open. 

"Our ice machine has gone down," explains the Manager at Grace’s Pizza and Shakes in Alvin, Danyel Rogers. "We had our pizza oven go down. Our air conditioner was overloaded. So we’ve had to get all these repair people out, which causes challenges on the restaurant." 

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Because it’s too much of a scorcher to cook many of us are hitting Houston hot spots, which these days are hot indeed.

"It’s a non-stop battle," explains Karim Pacheco, Owner of La Costa Seafood Grill in Alvin. "I can’t sleep at night knowing I have to get up early in the morning having to come up here, meet all the tech guys, get machines going. Ice machines, walk-in coolers, and freezers, making sure the temperatures are right." 

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"It’s just one thing after another. It’s thousands and thousands of dollars," Pacheco adds. 

When we can’t stand the heat in our own kitchens, we’re heading to let someone else do the cooking for us, and in Houston’s heat wave restaurant food service areas are just as sizzling. 

"It feels like it’s 100 degrees right here and if I take two steps back it feels, like a good 74 in this area. Just a couple of feet makes a huge difference," I tell Julia Hogan-McNeil Owner of Café Ju Ju vegan restaurant in Lyric Market, and she answers,"74 degrees, that’s still hot to cook in the kitchen".  

With the pizza oven at Grace’s Pizza and Shakes, you have to more than quadruple that temperature. 

"The pizza oven heats to 650 degrees. It’s a coal-fired oven, open flames. It makes it really hot," Rogers explains    

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The heat from inside coupled with the soaring temps outside, and it’s causing restaurant appliances to repeatedly break.

"Our ice machine has gone down about six times," says Pacheco.    

"We also have the challenge of this beautiful patio is over half of my dining room, and nobody wants to sit out here because it’s too hot," Rogers adds. "Because of the heat, I’m having to make sure my employees stay hydrated, and get frequent breaks, especially working in front of the hot pizza oven."

"We have a total of about 42 employees," Pacheco says. "We constantly give our workers breaks. Between me and my partner we go get them sno-cones or ice cream from the store.  We buy them Gatorade in the morning. We’re keeping everyone hydrated here." 

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At Café JuJu, which hires at-risk youth, the heat kept her employees from arriving this morning.

"Everyone needs a second, third, sometimes fourth chance, and because of transportation catching the bus sometimes they’re not here. (So you’re working alone today?) Yes," Hogan-McNeil answers before taking a long sip of her refreshing-looking ginger, carrot concoction. Fresh-made, healthy drinks are also the restaurant’s specialties.

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"We have our over-the-top milkshakes to cool off with," Rogers smiles. "Come try our Fourth of July special shake. It’s red, white and blue with Cookie Monster blue ice cream and by the way our air conditioning is working very well now. Some say it’s too cold."