Unexpected Road Closing Hurts Local Business

By Michael John

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Frutta Bowls, a local smoothie and acai berry restaurant located just

off of the campus of the University of Alabama, has been suffering this week due to unexpected

road construction. This popular healthy food choice establishment is used to being extremely

busy from open until close every day, which is why employees were confused on Monday,

February 4th, when their once thriving restaurant seemed to be completely empty. It wasn’t until

they poked their heads outside when they realized the cause of their low customer count. The

block of University Blvd. that Frutta Bowls is located on had been completely blocked off for

construction on both sides of the street. This includes parking spaces directly in front of Frutta

Bowls and direct access to the front door of the restaurant.

Upon further investigation, Frutta Bowls manager, John, was able to shed some light on

exactly how detrimental this unexpected road work has been to their business. When asked if

employees have noticed a change in momentum due to the road closing, John abruptly answered,

“Absolutely, business has been extremely slow this week.” He went on to explain, “We usually

see around 120 customers on a typical day, but since the road has been closed we are lucky to see
40 customers.” A very large decrease in customers shows just how much this construction has

affected the restaurant. John was also asked if the employees were notified on when the

construction would be completed, to which he responded, “Not exactly. I’ve heard anywhere

from one or two days, to as most as three weeks, but that is all hearsay.” An unfair turn of events

for the local restaurant has employees hoping for the construction to end as soon as possible so

that their business can get back to thriving once again.

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