The Silo to close a week early

Season ends next Sunday

By Joshua Maloni

Managing Editor

Though warm weather is hanging on and customers are still hanging out, The Silo Restaurant in Lewiston is closing a week early this summer. The serving season will conclude at the end of the day on Sept. 22.

The Water Street eatery is known for accommodating school students. Once the new academic year began, good help was hard to find.

“Most of our staff is college and high school kids and, particularly this staff, has given so much and done such a great job; it just wouldn’t be fair to force them into a short staff at the end of the season,” proprietor Alan Hastings said.

Moreover, he said, “It’s not fair to the customer to potentially not get the high standard of customer service that they’ve come to know and expect.”

Though a smaller staff during the school year is common, “this particular week, it’s a little too tight. When we’re putting me on the cook line, it’s just going too far! (Laughs),” Hastings said. “We are accommodating, and that’s just how we’ve been, because we’re seasonal, and most of our employees are students – in fact, all of them are students. Typically, we’re able to make a schedule out of our availabilities. It’s just not up to par for the last week.”

General Manager Lexi Alfiere said this was a particularly enjoyable season for the workers.

“We had a really fun summer with our staff. We did the Niagara Jet Adventure boat ride followed by breakfast; we held staff yoga every Tuesday morning with Melissa Morinello; we all received hoodies and Nalgene water bottles – and more – as gifts from Alan for everyone’s hard work. It has been a really great season, and our employees worked really hard to make it happen.

“I am really lucky to be able to lead such an awesome group of people, but I’m even luckier to have such a great, accommodating boss who agrees that our staff deserves to be able to focus on school now. As a Niagara University student, I know that his accommodations for our schedules – like closing at 9 p.m. on school nights – really helps. We want to end on a really good note and leave not only our customers, but also our staff, with great, everlasting memories, which I’m proud to say I think we did just that.”

Hastings explained, “We did well, this year, where, you know, it was very, very busy, summer, once the weather finally broke. We’re trying to make up for such a bad spring; I mean, really, just incredibly super-cold and rainy, all the way into mid-June. We’ve been working so hard to make it up all season. It’s a shame to call it quits early, but I really think it’s the right thing to do.

“You know, it’s not all about the money. I don’t want to end on a bad note with my staff, or my customers. And so, I really think this is the right thing to do.

“And I’m really sorry for any inconvenience to my customers, but I think it’s going to be better this way. And I’m sure there’s gonna be some disappointed people. But I hope they give us another chance next year.”

As part of The Silo’s final week in 2019, customers can purchase two hot dogs, an order of french fries, and a soda, for $8; two hot dogs and a drink for $6; or one hot dog and a drink for just $4, through next Sunday.

Weather-permitting, The Silo will reopen at 115 N. Water St., in May 2020.

For more information, visit https://www.lewistonsilo.com/.