Restaurants prepping for eclipse, varying hours at local businesses

Hundreds-of-thousands of people are coming into this area to see the total solar eclipse. Many have already gotten their weekends started.

To accommodate eclipse chasers and enthusiasts, many places are preparing for the largest crowds they may ever see in this short time frame.

Restaurant mangers and owners are predicting packed houses for the once-in-a-lifetime happening.

“We got a couple extra people in the kitchen, a couple extra servers throughout the whole weekend and Monday. We did a bit of food orders so we should be good. We’re all kind of pulling together and working as a team and working a little more longer hours,” Jason Cartier, the manager at Lucy’s Pizza, said.

“Everybody’s here. No one got the weekend off. I’ve got more food than I can stuff in this place right now. So I’m really definitely hoping that crowds show up for sure,” Todd Thoulion, the owner of The Snake Bite, said.

Restaurants are asking their customers to be patient. Thousands of visitors will want to be served, so service will not be as fast. Lines will build up at ordering and checkout stations.

A way to avoid a longer wait: bring cash. The more foot traffic, the more the credit card servers have the possibility of shutting down.

“What we plan on, if the systems do go down, is we’re just going to ask for cash only. So we’re expecting to be really busy,” Cartier said.

But places like The Snake Bite, that don’t accept credit cards in the first place, have other concerns.

“The biggest concern I have really with the crowds is just the restroom situation. People trying to use the restroom, you know, when I have customers trying to use it as well,” Thoulion said.

Depending on where you go, some businesses may be raising their prices. But eateries like Lucy’s Pizza and The Snake Bite aren’t among them.

“They’re spending enough money just coming out here to see us, and I want them to have a great experience at the Snake Bite. Potentially, it’s another 100,000-plus new customers coming our way, so we want to take care of everybody the same as we would take care of our locals,” Thoulion said.

In addition, retail businesses are beginning to pull the plug in eastern Idaho and surrounding areas for Aug. 21.

They are telling employees to stay home and announcing they will stay closed for the day, due to the eclipse and the chaos expected to come along with it.

Closures may range from the entire day to just a couple of hours. However, the Grand Teton Mall tells KIFI/KIDK it will be open and hold its normal hours.

The managers in the retail stores have the option to close for a full hour, 30 minutes, or just for the duration of the eclipse.

“To be honest with you, I really have no idea what to expect. We’re prepared for big crowds,” J’dee Grover, the district manager at Buckle, said. “Easier to have everyone scheduled and send them home, rather than call them in on their day off.”

“We’re hoping that it will drive a ton of traffic into the mall, which will drive it into the store,” Leslie Madsen, the store manager at Downeast Basics, said.

“We really don’t know what to expect. We’re planning for the worst, hoping for the best,” Monica Cantu, the sales lead at Aeropostale, said.

Restaurants and businesses have been getting ready for this for months, but still can’t prepare for what may happen. The hope is that everything goes as planned, but expect the unexpected.