Snow day not an option for some

When winter storms hit, the normal routine might be put on hold to take care of kids home on a snow day, or dig out from the inches or feet left behind. Offices close, meetings and classes are canceled.

Even working from home, it may feel more like a weekend day than a work day.

The storm that ended Monday afternoon brought anywhere from 8.2 inches of snow in Fishkill to 15 inches in Pine Plains, according to the National Weather Service. A snow emergency was declared in the City of Poughkeepsie. City transit service and sanitation and recycling collection were suspended. All Dutchess County Public Transit services, including the LOOP bus service, were suspended until further notice, according to the county's website. Every public school district in Dutchess County closed.

But not everyone can take a "snow day." For some — police, firefighters, doctors and nurses — they have to work. For others, working isn't an option, it's a necessity. If they don't work, they don't get paid.

The leisure and hospitality segment, often called tourism, is a growing source of employment in the mid-Hudson, with about 30,500 jobs in December in the area covering Dutchess, Orange and Ulster. That's up by 900 in a year. Restaurants and bars are a major subset of this category, and Dutchess County establishments employed an average of more than 8,100 workers in mid-2014. The average wage in this field, encompassing all part-time and full-time workers, was $16,529 in 2013.

"We knew it would be slow," said Melissa Maiorana, a manager at Coyote Grill on Route 9. The Town of Poughkeepsie restaurant generally serves about 25 tables during a normal lunch shift. However, Monday afternoon only five people had come to Coyote Grill to eat, said Maiorana, 33, of the City of Poughkeepsie. Coyote Grill largely opened for its regular patrons that depend on the restaurant, she said.

The restaurant normally has about two servers and a bartender on staff for the lunch shift, but only one server was on hand Monday.

"The tips section is definitely going to hurt me today," James Kimlin, a Coyote Grill waiter, said. Those who work in the service industry have good and bad tip days, said Kimlin, 24, of Staatsburg.

On a Saturday night, Kimlin leaves the restaurant with about $100 in tips, he said. "Today I think I made a grand total of $8," he said Monday afternoon.

Farther south on Route 9, Table Talk Diner was doing less than half its regular Monday afternoon business, said owner Nick Vanikiotis. "You don't expect to be busy on a day like this," Vanikiotis said.

The restaurant normally has six servers for the lunch shift, but only had one working Monday afternoon, Vanikiotis said. On the bright side, the storm hit on a Monday. Business would have taken a bigger hit on a Saturday afternoon, he said.

Server Jose Fernandez said he jumps at the opportunity to work when there are fewer servers because that means a bigger paycheck.

"I know a lot of people are going to call out," said Fernandez, 23, of Fishkill about working on a snowy day. "That means extra money for me."

Fernandez said he makes about $120 during a lunch shift. Monday, due of the lack of servers, he said he made $30 more than normal toward the end of his shift. He also makes a $5 hourly wage, which he mostly uses toward gas, he said.

Winter weather may bring challenging working conditions, but it also usually means extra tips for Scott Williams, who has been working at TJ's Pizza on Main Street in the City of Poughkeepsie for 25 years.

"We always get bigger orders," Williams said. "And the (delivery) tips are better," since people sympathize because he had to travel through snow. "It's worth it."

Staff writers John Barry and Nina Schutzman contributed to this report. Mark Gerlach: 845-451-4509, mgerlach@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @PoJoMarkGerlach

Closings and delays:http://pojonews.co/closings

SNOWFALL

Below are the snowfall totals in inches, as of 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Pine Plains 15.0

Rhinebeck 14.0

Clinton Corners 14.0

Millerton 12.0

Beacon 12.0

Hyde Park 10.5

Wappingers Falls 9.0

LaGrange 9.0

Poughkeepsie 8.6

Fishkill 8.2

Ulster County

New Paltz 12.3

Marlboro 9.0

Highland 7.4