After a summer which posted tourism numbers down as much as 20%, the Hot Tomato Italian Restaurant & Brick Oven closed its doors this past week. The restaurant was located at 406 21st Ave N, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.
Businesses from 21st North to the entire South end of Myrtle Beach have witnessed precipitous declines as the Myrtle Beach brand continues to fail.
In a Facebook post, owner Sharon Treffeisen announced she was leaving the Myrtle Beach restaurant after five years.
Treffeisen wrote on Facebook, “I must say goodbye to Hot Tomato and all of our customers. With the lease coming to an end, I am looking forward to a simpler life for my family and me, as it has been an especially hard road since COVID began 3 years ago.”
Restaurants located in North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach or Carolina Forest are 5 times more likely to succeed than one located inside the city limits of Myrtle Beach.
This is largely due to the year round clients those locations provide. City of Myrtle Beach businesses must rely on an ever shrinking three month summer business clientele.
According to the post, Treffeisen operated the Hot Tomato Italian Restaurant & Brick Oven from October 2018 through August of this year. “The hardest part was saying goodbye to my Hot Tomato family and I’m sorry that I was not able to say goodbye to my regulars, whether daily, weekly or annually. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to close rapidly and much sooner than anticipated. I am very thankful to have such an amazing team that still came to work on Monday and gave it their all for our last dinner service. I am so proud that our last ticket was a Kitchen Compliment from a table, which gives the kitchen staff a round of drinks from me. I was blessed with having an amazing Chef from the beginning that truly helped make Hot Tomato a place so many have come to love. Thank you, Chef,” she added
Treffeisen also operates the Heirloom Bistro on 77th North in Myrtle Beach.
The North end location of the Heirloom Bistro has a much better chance of succeeding than does a business located further South.