TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tom Kruszewski looks at how many people he sees at his restaurant, Risky Business, and it’s not nearly as crowded as it was in the first few months of the year.

When he picked up the phone, he knew it was an opportunity to make some money during the low summer months.

“There is certainly a decline … and we do expect some of it,” he said.

Having been in business for about 26 years, he makes a profit on first-of-the-year sales to prepare for a drop in summer traffic.

“During the summer, you’re going to rely on what you’ve been doing for the first four months,” he said.

Between November and May, among the customers who carry him are “snowbirds” who are only in Arizona part of the year.

However, during the summer months they have to rely on regular customers, which can mean up to 20% less sales.

“We are not drowning, but we are floating,” he said.

Also, the change in weather that brought rain last week has kept him buoyant, which he said may be why more people stop by his store.

But it’s still eating up profits this summer, he said.

“The last two years have probably been more difficult than pre-Corona,” he said.

To attract more customers, he uses social media to promote his business and take pictures of his customers’ meals.

“It’s a very difficult situation for small businesses and local businesses, so eat locally,” he said.

But his business isn’t the only one in the Foothills whose season has been put on hold by the heat.

The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is also seeing fewer visitors. The gallery’s executive director, Lance Laver, said there are more vacancies and fewer names in the guestbook.

“This summer has been about the same. It’s always been a late summer here,” Labor said.

Up to 100 people a day can visit during the winter months, but only a fraction of them come from May to September.

“Well, we have bills to pay, we have payroll, we have a lot of things to pay,” Lavers said of the impact on his business.

But people like Bill Shipp and Susan Shipp, who visited the gallery on Monday, said it was important to support local businesses because they were competing with big companies.

“We always want to help as many companies as possible because they are probably being hit harder,” said Bill Shipp.

Lavers said it’s the locals, especially those like the Shipp family who have just moved from Texas, that get them through these difficult times.

“We hope to have more local support, especially for those who are visiting Tucson for the first time,” Lavers said.