| November 22, 2005 Wilma hurts southwest Florida restaurant industry For the second year in a row, hurricane season has put several southwest Florida eateries at a standstill. However, some, like popular chain Mel's Diner, have survived with little damage and are now feeding the community in droves. Naples, FL -- Ralph Desiano, chief operating officer for Mel's Diner, a popular southwest-Florida-based restaurant chain, says that although Hurricane Wilma caused much damage throughout the area, the storm did not incapacitate the region, as it did in other parts of Florida. Five of his restaurant company's ten locations, for example, lost power during the storm. But only one, the company's Naples store, suffered any notable damage - even that location, Desiano notes, will be up and running as soon as electricity is restored. "We believe the power will be out anywhere from three days to three weeks," said Desiano, "though we expect it to return well before that three week estimate." Other restaurants in the area have not been so lucky, however, claims Desiano. Many have been forced to shut down because of Hurricane Wilma's wrath, and as a result residents have been left with limited dining options. Because of this, Desiano states, the Mel's Diners locations in the Hurricane area left operational after the storm have been catering to packed dining rooms. The scenario is similar to what Mel's Diner locations experienced last year after the region was ravaged by Hurricane Charley; for that, Mel's Diner lowered the prices of select menu items as a means to help feed storm victims, with $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99 breakfast, lunch and dinner specials. If the power is not restored in the area soon, as Desiano hopes, they will consider running those specials again. For now, they are serving free coffee at all open locations in the Hurricane zone. "Last year, when we had the hurricanes, our business actually went up," said Desiano. "We were able to get our restaurants up and running faster than most national companies, probably due to the fact that our corporate offices and executives are local." The San Carlos location, for example, opened the day after Hurricane Wilma struck, and because it was one of the only operable restaurants within miles, it tripled its typical sales volume. "Although we may feel the effects of slower business throughout last weekend," said Desiano, "we hope to make up for it by reopening our restaurants as soon as we can and by our ability to quickly serve a large volume of customers." Founded in 1989 by Chris Karakosta, Mel's Diner currently owns and operates ten locations in the region, all of them rooted on family friend service, comfort foods prepared from scratch and great value. For more information, please visit www.melsdiners.com. ### Media Contact: Ashley H. Hallmark Quantified Marketing Group 407.936.1010 321.663.1209 c. ahallmark@quantifiedmarketing.com News: Press Releases | In the News | Press Kit | Downloads |
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