Philadelphia businesses struggle in intense heatwave

CENTER CITY - Businesses are feeling the heat from the Delaware Valley’s heatwave and some are even forced to shut down.

"We finally came in and finally got it back open," said Francesco Crovetti, owner of Rione Pizza Al Taglio, on South 21st Street, in Center City. They’re back in business Friday making pizzas and serving customers.

"We were closed for three business days, so we missed out on a lot, unfortunately," said Crovetti. He says the start of the heatwave stopped business.

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"Our compressor gave up on us, so we had to close down operations since we've got an oven right in the main room, which heats up all the room," he explained. Working with an oven all day, a working air-conditioner is a must.

"With the air-conditioning, we can get it down on a hot day to 78 or 79 degrees, maybe, and around the oven area, I'm sure it's a little hotter, like 85, as you're opening and shutting the door," he said. Crovetti says it was hard to get the ac repaired right away because the service person was overwhelmed with calls this week.

But, things are cooling down.

"We plan to keep the ac on all night long, so that way, it just gives the opportunity for the whole room to cool down," he said.

It's been a tough week for Radwa Melouk, also, trying to sell cool and refreshing treats outside the Art Museum.

"It seems like it's going to be good business, but it's not because people always run away from heat. When it's too hot, it's not as you would expect," said Melouk. She says ice cream business has been good during July until the extreme heat hit this week.

She says fewer people are out, so she's not seeing the long line of customers one might expect on a summer day.

"Maybe sometime after sunset, we get more people when it's cool and better," she said. Add to that, the ac in her ice cream truck stopped working, but she's trying to make it and get what profit there is.

"I'm struggling here. Sometimes I want to jump in the freezer," she laughed.

Sunday is forecasted to be the hottest day with an expected record heat of 100 degrees.