Skaters with Olympic dreams practice turns and spins in the mornings. Hundreds of students take to the ice in the afternoons before hockey players arrive at night. Business looks like it's booming. We are working on such small margins as it is. Raising prices isn't an option, Linssen said.
Most skaters have contracts negotiated months ago, before energy bills skyrocketed.
And he's got to remain competitive with two other local rinks. Electric Co. And the first of the economic ripples are emerging. A cup of coffee at Experience Coffee in Rancho San Diego, for example, will cost you a dime more than it did a few weeks ago. Don't put your wallet away, because a soft-serve cone at a Dairy Queen outlet in Mira Mesa also costs 10 cents more. Burgers at an Escondido McDonald's are a few cents higher, too.