Late last week metropolitan Louisville experienced a bout of wintry ice and snow, and in the absence of anything more productive to do, many of us took to social media either to complain about the weather, or to gripe about the people complaining about the weather. The older they are, the more likely they’re intent on reminding young’uns and newcomers that they just don’t make blizzards like they used to ’round here.
It should be obvious that when a society prioritizes automobile travel to the relative exclusion of mass transit, and roads become slick with ice, it’s sensible to consider refraining from driving if abstinence is a practical matter. Thirty years ago I spent the winter months in Košice, Slovakia; it snowed a fair amount, and between trams, buses and my own two legs, mobility was barely restricted at all by the accumulation.
As I’m informed on a regular basis, we’re not Europe. We’re not Philadelphia, either, but this can be left for another day’s discussion.
The point to this digression is that winter isn’t the best season for most restaurants, and when winter weather is bad, business gets even worse. To be sure, one might choose to have food delivered by someone who must drive on the same roads which have precluded the recipient from visiting the restaurant, which is another consideration entirely.
Accordingly, here’s a brief glimpse into the mind of an urban restaurateur who opens during bad weather, courtesy of Ashley N. Brown at Spectrum News: Winter storm limits dining options in Louisville.
Chef Pavana (Tasanabriboon) is the owner of Time 4 Thai. She joined the flavorful street six years ago and besides, every Monday, she has never closed the door to customers. “I see this a chance for people can call in order and actually I live next door close by, so why not just keep open and do some prep at the same time,” says Pavana.
Time 4 Thai launched in 2016 and is located at 2206 Frankfort Avenue. Consider a post-it note if you live nearby: “Stays open in bad weather.”
An article from 2015 at Bon Appétit takes the consideration a step further: Why You Should Go to Restaurants When the Weather Is Really Bad, with the subtitle “Yes, you should get to restaurants in bad weather (as long as you can get there safely).”
People don’t want to hike through the snow or drive in the rain, which means lots of cancellations. That booked-solid restaurant you’ve been trying to get into for the last two months? On a crappy night, you can probably stroll right in.
Yes, I know; Hurstbourne isn’t Atlanta or Brooklyn. The sidewalks where I live were terrible the past few days, and as for me, I just want it to be springtime.
