Coachella Valley businesses prepare for Labor Day weekend crowds

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - After months of slower business, restaurant owners across Palm Springs are heading into Labor Day weekend with cautious optimism, hoping the holiday brings a much-needed surge in customers.

For many local restaurants, the weekend is about more than a few busy days. Owners say it can provide an important boost after a difficult summer and offer an early glimpse at whether business is beginning to pick up heading into the busier part of the year.

At La Bonitas Mexican Restaurant, owner Aaron Raei said preparation starts with making sure there are enough employees ready to handle the expected increase in customers.

“Labor Day is usually busy. We give extra staff because there's a lot of people that come to Palm Springs,” Raei said.

Raei said Labor Day business can be about three times busier than a typical period, with many customers walking in rather than making reservations ahead of time.

For him, a successful weekend is less about any one sales number and more about seeing steady activity throughout the restaurant.

“Successful Labor Day [is] just a steady flow of people coming, walking, talking, smiling, you know, having a good time,” Raei said.

At Bongo Johnny’s Patio Bar and Grill, owner Mark Hewitt said the restaurant is taking several steps to prepare for the holiday crowds, including increasing its online promotion, updating menus and extending hours through the weekend.

But Hewitt said the stakes feel especially high this year after what he described as an exceptionally challenging summer.

“We have had one of the hardest summers that we've [had] on record,” Hewitt said.

That is why a strong Labor Day weekend would carry added meaning.

“A successful Labor Day weekend is full patios on both Saturday and Sunday — or I should say Saturday, Sunday and Monday — with lots of brunch goers,” Hewitt said.

The uncertainty, is whether customers will ultimately follow through and spend.

At Blaze Pizza, owner Dave Patrick said last Labor Day was softer than he had hoped. He said economic uncertainty remains a concern, but he is optimistic this year could be stronger.

“The economy is still kind of shaky, but we're optimistic that this year is going to be better than last year,” Patrick said.

Patrick also said local customers play an important role in helping restaurants make it through the slower summer months, making a stronger holiday weekend especially valuable as businesses look toward the months ahead.

For all three owners, the formula is similar; prepare the staff, get the restaurant ready and hope the customers come.

Whether those expectations turn into full dining rooms and stronger sales will become clearer throughout the Labor Day weekend, but owners say even a short-term boost could make a meaningful difference as they move toward the busier part of the year.