Lititz Pike construction hurting business for local restaurant

Updated: Sunday, July 20 2014, 09:02 AM CDT Reported by: Jesse Knutson (JKnutson@sbgtv.com)

One business in particular in Lancaster says summer construction on the Lititz Pike is making it nearly impossible for people to get to their restaurant. The Stockyard Inn on the Lititz Pike in Lancaster is a landmark restaurant and steakhouse. When you step inside, you get a taste of what it was like when Lancaster was home to the largest stockyard east of Chicago but as of last Wednesday, the building built in 1750 has been blocked off by a construction project. Obviously having your front door blocked and the parking lot to your front door blocked is very devastating, say James Fournaris. Fournaris and his family have owned the Stockyard Inn since 1952, and since then, theyve never had a problem like this. We run tight margins and volume is very important in our business, and when volume is decreased, the sales, obviously are affected, revenue is affected, and its very difficult. Other businesses affected by the construction on the Lititz Pike, which is expected to last into October, have special access to their parking lots, but for the Stockyard Inn, customers are forced to take a detour.

The detour signs are very confusing, says Fournaris. To give you an idea of how out of the way you have to drive to get to the Stockyard Inn, we shot video of the drive starting at where the normal entrance to the restaurant is and we sped it up to 30 times the speed. Youll have to drive through 3 stop lights, 2 stop signs, and go through a roundabout before reaching the restaurant. The lack of access has the restaurant wondering what it will mean for their business in the long run. Were concerned and scared! But they understand the construction is necessary, theyre just hoping theyll be afforded better access by construction crews, or given more obvious detour signs. In todays challenging economy, you know, its hard enough having a business and running a business, but not having access for your patrons to come to your front door is quite devastating, Fournaris explained. Despite the construction and possible hardships ahead, the restaurant is ready to serve its customers.

When CBS 21 reached out to PennDOT about the concerns of the Stockyard Inn, a spokesperson told us that they do work with businesses prior to construction in order to put up detour signs for a project. The consultant on this particular job has not returned our call regarding whether anything else could be done to help the restaurant.Lititz Pike construction hurting business for local restaurant

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Lititz Pike construction hurting business for local restaurant