We re very happy. Cheryl Comfort, manager of Jim s Steak House downtown, said her restaurant is in the same position. A lot of our business depends on the conventions and a lot of busi ness dinners through Caterpillar. Comfort said the restaurant did less business in December, when snowy weather kept potential customers homebound. He said he and his wife have cut down on the number of meals they eat in restaurants, but that s because they are trying to eat a healthier diet.
Movies also haven t suffered at the hands of more expensive heating bills.
Chris Dungan, manager of Willow Knolls 14 Theatres, said business is better than ever. Part of that could be stronger films, but I don t really see an impact of heating bills causing people to stay away from movie theaters. Michael Griffin, manager of Pekin s Showplace 12, said moviegoers are coming out in full force. In the meantime, the Wehrles are waiting for warmer temperatures and a break on their heating bill.