ST. GEORGE, Utah (KUTV) — A locally owned Culver’s Restaurant on Riverside Drive in St. George has seen a sharp decline in business over the past week due to road repaving that blocks access to the area.
Will Henrie, the restaurant’s owner-operator, reported a 50% drop in sales since the roadwork began.
The construction, aimed at resurfacing the eastbound lanes of the busy thoroughfare first followed by the westbound lanes, has left customers struggling to enter the restaurant. This has led to significant losses for the business and reduced hours for its employees.
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“For us, people usually get off the freeway and turn right at the light at 270 East to get to us,” Henrie explained. “But with that road gone, people aren’t able to turn right across the construction and they can’t easily get to the location.”
Henrie’s Culver’s, which he runs as a franchise, relies on both drive-through and dine-in customers. He wants the community to know that, despite the well-known brand name, it is locally owned.
“Like our restaurant and many others like us, you see a recognizable logo on the door. But, when you come in, it’s owned by someone who lives in your community,” said Henrie. “This is our baby. I’m here flipping burgers, scooping shakes, cleaning our bathrooms. I’ve had great mentors who showed me that this is the way to be successful.”
With fewer customers able to reach the restaurant, Henrie has had to make tough decisions about staffing, reducing hours for some of his employees.
“We have 60 to 65 employees. They range in age from 14 to 80. Seeing these folks – some saving for their first car, some paying rent – lose hours, is hard,” he said. “It’s been a struggle for everyone.”
The community, however, has rallied behind the business. After he posted on Facebook about the impact of the construction, he’s seen a surge in local support.
“I had someone tell me, ‘We’re coming for lunch and we’re coming back for dinner to help take care of you guys,’” Henrie said.
Despite these efforts, the restaurant is still in a challenging spot and Henrie hopes the city will consider ways to reduce impacts on small businesses during future projects.
Cameron Cutler, the city’s Public Works Director, acknowledged that the project’s timing could have been better.
“Sometimes, in engineering, we think about what project needs to be done and getting it out of the way so the public can keep moving,” said Cutler. “But sometimes we get so quick in these projects that we don’t look at the bigger perspective.”
Cutler admitted there were gaps in communication and planning for accessibility, not only affecting businesses but also the nearby convention center, which served as a polling place on Election Day.
“In this case, it was the left hand not talking to the right hand, and it was just bad timing,” he said. “I feel bad for the public on Election Day. There are some people who feel we did that on purpose, but that is absolutely not correct. This one was a mistake and bad timing.”
Henrie understands the need for infrastructure improvement but hopes the city will consider the needs of local businesses during future roadwork projects.
“It takes the community coming together to help us get through this rough patch,” Henrie said, grateful for the community.
City officials said the eastbound lanes should be complete in the next few days and work on the westbound lanes start after that.
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