Summer 2022 a Success, Business Owners Say

WILDWOOD — While the summer tourist trade slows down considerably after Labor Day, business owners in the Wildwoods report that the level and patterns of summer tourist activity are getting back to normal.
“I feel it has trended back to the way it was before Covid,” said Lee-Ann Kane, manager at Russo’s Market in North Wildwood. 
Russo’s is a market and deli that experiences a fair amount of foot traffic from people walking to the beach during the summer. In 2020, there was a large drop-off in business. Russo’s closed after Labor Day weekend that year. This was despite second-home owners sticking around for much of the season. Kane said when people could not attend graduations, weddings, funerals, or hold birthday parties, they just hung around at their shore homes.  
Last year was a comeback season for many businesses, but staffing was a problem — a problem that lingers, to a degree. 
“We are fortunate to have several J-1 students who can stay around,” Kane said. 
Kane said 2022 has been a good year. Like others, she has attributed that to people’s ability to travel, and to the good weather.
“We are a weather-driven business,” she said. “People stop here on their way to the beach.”
One change has been they are seeing more deli business with people buying lunchmeat in greater quantities, suggesting they are making their own sandwiches instead of buying them.
“It used to be that people would buy half a pound of this or a pound of that. Now it’s two pounds, two pounds…” she said. 
Like Kane, Anthony Zuccarello, who manages Sam’s Pizza on the Boardwalk, says the weather has helped business. 
“The weather was hot. The weekends were steady,” Zuccarello said.
According to Zuccarello, the last two weeks in July and the first two weeks in August were very strong. He said all the special events held on the beach, from sports to music, always give Sam’s Pizza a boost, but there is a built-in market for a soda and a slice of pizza.
“A lot of our business is kids — teens — who want a slice of pizza and a soda,” he said. 
When Covid restrictions were in place, Sam’s Pizza was doing mainly takeout business. He still does a lot of window service on the boardwalk, but the loosening of restrictions and the rain holding off allowed more people to be on the boardwalk day and night. 
Brendan Sciarra has several businesses in a high-traffic area around New Jersey Avenue and Rio Grande Boulevard. He said Covid restrictions caused an uptick in takeout business, which has now leveled out, with restaurants offering inside and outside dining, the latter of which he feels is here to stay.
“People do love the outside eating. Covid really changed that, so when (the weather’s) nice they want to be outside,” Sciarra said.  
In general, Sciarra thinks business was good in the summer of 2022, but perhaps more importantly it is, in his words, “trending back to normality.”
“We saw a lot more Canadians this year because Covid travel restrictions were lifted,” he said. “We are definitely getting back to where summer is supposed to be.”
Sciarra said there was a week or two when gas prices spiked when business “seemed a little different,” and he can see where people are more conscious of costs, now. However, he feels people settled in and the season wrapped up well. 
Food businesses are always good indicators of people’s spending or where they are cutting back, but everyone has to have a place to stay when they vacation at the shore. 
Steve Tecco, president of the Greater Wildwood Hotel and Motel Association, said that for the most part, he had heard good news from people in the lodging industry.
“What I have heard is that people are having a very good season,” he said. 
Tecco, who runs the Armada-by-the-Sea in Wildwood Crest, said they had guests calling in the spring who expressed frustration at not being able to find a place to stay. He said his hotel has been at 100 percent occupancy since the third week of June, and even when they had cancelations, they were able to fill the rooms. He also said the events benefited his business.
“Like the country music festival,” he said. “And September events draw a lot of people here — there’s something every weekend, from car shows to fireman’s weekend, the Irish Festival, the monster truck shows…they all bring a lot of people here.”
 Tecco said that while business has picked up, inflation has reared its ugly head at the same time. He said expenses in the accommodations industry are up 29%. He listed insurance, utilities and payroll all taking a bigger bite of the profit margin. However, he believes people are aware of rising prices and make their choices accordingly. 
“(Rising prices) has been a consideration for some people, but they watch the news and know what is going on,” he said. 
Do you own a business? How did this summer go for you? Let us know. Email csouth@cmcherald.com.