The Optimist

Summer is upon us, and students are preparing to leave for summer vacation.

The exodus will leave its mark on area businesses. The loss of business in addition to the absence of employees will have places like Tuscany's Coffee House on South First Street and Chicken Express on Judge Ely Boulevard altering their plans in preparation for the summer months.

Amy Barnes, manager at Tuscany's, said more than a few students work at the coffee house.

"We opened in late August, so this will be our first summer," Barnes said.

Barnes said Tuscany's did experience a slower period during the Christmas season as a result of many students going home to their families.

"There's so much to do during the Christmas season, and so much money to spend on other places. We ended up closing for a few days around Christmas time," Barnes said.

Tuscany's, which serves food such as coffee and sandwiches, is making an effort not to cater exclusively to college students, Barnes said.

"It's a process of trial and error," Barnes said. "To start out, we're going to adjust the menu for different meal times."

Chicken Express will also experience a slowdown come summer, said assistant manager Brian Sharp.

"Normally, when the students leave, the business dramatically slows down," Sharp explained.

Sharp said the fast- food restaurant tries to support the students of Abilene whenever possible. They even offer a student           special meal.

Chicken Express has two workers who will leave over the summer, Sharp said.

Sharp also said he doesn't expect to have a hard time finding replacements for anyone else leaving town.

Barnes said Tuscany's has several students working, all hand-picked by owners Brad and Laura Engel, and the coffee house has already started hiring to fill in for those on the way out.

The end result, however, is not clear.

"It's hard to say what will happen because this is our first summer," Barnes said. "We get a lot of ACU kids so we appreciate them coming in."

Sharp said while the slower business is obvious, the business is not hit too roughly, especially since churches such as University Church of Christ occasionally have Chicken Express cater its events.

E-mail Straus at: nrs02a@acu.edu

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