Syracuse Restaurants Without Air Conditioning Are Sweating it Out

By Krystin Lilly

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The intense heat wave in Syracuse has forced some restaurants without air conditioning to close, but others are determined to push through despite customers’ concerns.

“It’s hot in here, I don’t know how you guys are doing it,” is the common response when customers step foot in Southside Wings, manager Samantha Hanley said.

Inside Southside Wings, the temperature sits at a blistering 99 degrees, but that isn’t stopping them from staying open.

“You gotta stay open and push through and make the money,” Hanley said.

Their resolve is to simply keep operating. Despite their efforts, conditions remain challenging. Their cooling methods have limits.

“We do have the big fans but that’s more so circulating hot air,” Hanley said.

Meanwhile, Over the Cuse Deli, is dealing with their own set of issues.

“Our AC broke yesterday,” staff member Jlexia Almaqaleh-Rodriguez said. “We had a lot of companies come in and no one knew how to fix it.”

For now, they’ve resorted to using fans as a temporary fix.

“We added like six fans, we make sure like all the ceiling fans are on, we added fans in the back for the girls working up front,” Almaqaleh-Rodriguez said.

But even with these efforts, the heat is still a major problem.

“The fans aren’t really doing much…It feels like the sun is in here with us,” cashier Ariana Cunningham said.

But despite the heat they keep working, and customers keep coming in whether it’s for a cold drink or even if it means ordering on DoorDash.