Winter Carnival weekend saw a spike in sales for many Hanover businesses, with an influx of Dartmouth families and alumni coming in for the big weekend, which also coincided with Valentine’s Day.
Lou’s Restaurant general manager Shawn Nelson said that the restaurant, as is usual on big weekends, saw an uptick in sales this weekend as there were more people in town than normal.
The increase was slightly higher than in prior years, which he said could have been a result of Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day weekend being at the same time. Nelson attributed the usual increase to the fact that Lou’s is one of the only breakfast places in Hanover.
In preparation for the increase in customers, he said that the restaurant increased the amount of staffed hours, alongside boosting bakery production. Lou’s did not add any additional items to their menu for Winter Carnival, although Nelson said that he probably will next year.
Nelson said that the cold weather probably resulted in people not wanting to walk around as much and preferring to stay inside, although the inclusion of Valentine’s Day also could have offset the effects of the weather.
In comparison to other big weekends, such as Homecoming or Green Key weekend, the amount of sales was slightly higher, he said. Additionally, there was a generally older crowd as opposed to Green Key, when the restaurant normally sees high numbers of students.
Jennifer Packard, director of public relations for the Blue Sky Restaurant Group, which oversees Molly’s Restaurant and Jesse’s Restaurant and Tavern, said that Winter Carnival is always a consideration for both restaurants in terms of planning.
For Jesse’s, Valentine’s Day added a brunch service to the Sunday menu, which the restaurant does not normally offer on the weekend of Winter Carnival.
Both restaurants increased staffing, scheduling extra bussers and food runners. The managers also ensured that there were a larger number of specialty dishes than normal in order to have more options for the large crowd, Packard said. Longer wait times for tables were another factor that had to be taken into account, she said.
Packard said that there is generally a noticeable increase in business over Winter Carnival weekend compared to other weekends in February.
The weekend also coincided with school breaks as a result of the holiday weekend, which means that a lot of families were stopping by the restaurants.
She said that she did not think that the weather had a large impact on their business this year, at least in comparison to other years, although she did think that fewer skiers came into town.
Packard did say that Winter Carnival felt different this year.
“Winter Carnival in general had a very different feel to it this year because we are so used to seeing those big wonderful glorious snow sculptures on the Green that we did not get to see this year, although I think the College adapted well to the situation,” Packard said.
For Molly’s and Jesse’s, Homecoming, Winter Carnival and commencement weekend require extra preparation. Behind those weekends would be sophomore parents weekend, she said.
Dartmouth Co-op store manager Megan Nemeroff said that, Winter Carnival did not change the store’s normal business hours. The Co-op, however, was involved with Winter Carnival in another way — selling carnival posters.
The Co-op saw the usual increase in customers it sees on big weekends. However, this year, the Co-op sold 300 more Winter Carnival posters than it had the year before, Nemeroff said.
Nemeroff said that the increase in sales was due to the cold weather, as people walking along Main Street would stop inside the store in order to warm up and end up browsing. She also attributed the increase to the Dr. Seuss-based theme of the poster.
