another A storm is brewing this week This means another headache for the owners of Chit Chat Cafe in Pacifica.
The coffee shop has been struggling since the pier closed late last year. While regulars are doing their best to keep the place afloat, everyone is just counting the days until the pier can reopen.
Pamela Minalik has her daily routine.
Every day, she drives to Beach Boulevard in Pacifica, takes a walk up and down the beach, and then stops at Chit Chat Cafe for coffee, a snack, and a beautiful view.
“It's right next to the sea wall and there's a lot of people doing interesting things here,” Minarik said.
Sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by is one of Pamela's favorite pastimes. But here she is in a month and her outlook has changed a bit.
“How are they going to do it? Because I'm kind of a regular customer, I'm always here, but you can't create a whole customer base with one or two people like me. “Sho,” Minarik said.
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Back in December, the city closed the pier after a major storm caused significant damage. Since then, owner Ginger Davis said the number of customers coming to the cafe has halved.
“If the next storm comes and we're already down 50%, we're going to be hit hard. But my husband and I feel like as long as we can pay our rent and our employees, we'll make it.” It means we’re going to make it,’” Davis said.
Ginger Davis and her husband have only owned the cafe for about a year, but said previous owners had warned them about the weather.
“It's not the first time, but it's a first for us and it's still early in our ownership and it really gives us an idea of what to look for in the future,” Ginger Davis he said.
It's been a tough few weeks, but Ginger Davis said they're lucky to have loyal customers like Minarik who are doing their best to keep the business afloat until the pier reopens.
“I like to go local and support local businesses and keep doing small things local and make people happy to continue. I think it's better that way. After my retirement… Work keeps them all going,” Minarik said.
The good news is that only Minariku hopes he won't have to keep the cafe going much longer.
The city placed a sign on the pier stating that it hopes to reopen on Valentine's Day in a few weeks.
