Beating the Heat

For a few centuries now, people have flocked to Saratoga Springs, New York to beat the heat. The natural springs have drawn visitors for their “healing powers.” Since 1863, people have flocked to the famed Saratoga Race Course to sit in the shade and “bet the ponies.” And with July average temps at 81 for highs and 62 for lows, this upstate New York hamlet gets a ton of visitors during the Dog Days of Summer – July 3rd – August 11, officially.

We’ve spent the last week visiting this beautiful city, and I only have one complaint. The heat.

It’s not the first time we’ve come to upstate New York to “beat the heat,” but this East Coast Heat Wave is even making the “spa city” unbearable. 

When I read the news that Las Vegas hit 116 and Death Valley hit 128 this last week, I shrugged my shoulders and said to myself “Yeah, ok, I get it. But that’s the desert and it’s “a dry heat.”

But when cities like Richmond, VA and Saratoga Springs, NY hit temps near 100 and humidity levels at 90%, you tend to take notice. In both places this week, people were not out walking their dogs or strolling the streets. The restaurants are half empty. The traffic is light. An outdoor music festival? Fuhgeddaboudit. It’s just too darn hot.

One year ago, the Saratoga Race Track was packed and you couldn’t get a dinner reservation anywhere. This week the town was almost empty – even on a bustling weekend.

The heatwave is currently taking its toll on businesses here. This town’s economy relies on huge summer crowds that eat a lot, drink a lot, gamble a lot, and buy a lot of stuff. I feel their pain.

Business at the Texas Inn has been down 20%-25% during this heat wave, but we’ve been fighting back – with some cool promotions. Happy Hour is from 3-6 pm every day with half-price Ice Cream Floats and on National Hot Dog Day (Wednesday) we offered 2 hots and a cold drink for only $5.99. A couple of hot deals for hot days. We’re not waiting for the weather to improve…we’re tackling it now. 

BTW, you can vote Texas Inn for the prized Golden Tomato Award – and get a dang good DukeBurger, by visiting and VOTING for us in the Hot Tomato Summer promotion, sponsored by Duke’s Mayo!

Is the heatwave having a negative impact on your business? If so, what are you doing about it? As always, I love getting your emails.