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Snow, Cold Take Bite Out Of Philly Eateries During Center City Restaurant Week

By Justin Udo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's Center City Restaurant Week, a time when restaurants around town feature discounted lunches and dinners. But during the start of the festivities, the city found itself digging out of more than a foot of snow, while being blitzed by the freezing temperatures.

The Philadelphia region was hammered by 14 inches of snow just days after Restaurant Week got underway. So just how much did the weather affect business?

Chef Walter Staib with City Tavern in Society Hill said his business was hit hard by the latest blast of winter weather.

"The snow comes Tuesday and nobody came. We actually did no business," said Staib. "This last week was just totally cold, and people just don't want to come out for that."

Seth Lieberman, a manager at Amada in Old City, said they did not experience a dip in business, but making sure their staff could make it to work was big concern.

"We always have the safety of our employees in mind, so if anyone is too far away and can't make it, we don't want them even trying to get in here," he said. "Our general rule of thumb is if SEPTA closes down then we have to reevaluate our staffing."

With more frigid temperatures expected, it remains to be seen how much the weather will impact eateries throughout the remainder of Restaurant Week, which runs until the end of January.

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