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Car sales affected
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Like other restaurants, Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen will only be able to do takeout and delivery this New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve in 2020
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Bunnin Chevrolet Cadillac, located at 301 S. Hope Ave. in Santa Barbara, is closing off the year with its annual employee pricing sale. Earlier this year, aggressive financing deals were offered to coax customers onto the lot.
Dealerships see new customer behavior during pandemic NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara Auto Group, at 402 S. Hope Ave., joins other dealerships offering year-end discounts. But general manager Bill Fogg says the largest hurdle he faces is inventory.
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newspress.com Barbara Auto Group, said. “(Manufacturers) are trying to gauge the demand so when
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newspress.com Regional stay-at-home order is extended. See A6. only serve takeout, and it will close at its usual hour. Dustdin Guthrie, one of Sandbar’s managers, said the loss from New Year’s Eve will be “pretty huge.” “We’ll be lucky to make probably 20% of our usual sales, hopefully,” he told the NewsPress. “We’re just taking it day by day hoping for the best and trying to do takeout and get as much as we can from that, which isn’t much compared to what we usually get.” However, he said Sandbar is offering a deal to customers that if they spend more than $50, they get Please see LOCKDOWN on A7
Chumash Casino to ring in 2021 without dance party they had problems back at the beginning of the year with plant shutdowns and manufacturing issues, it does take a while to refill the pipeline.” Because he sells luxury vehicles, a lot of his customers order custom specifications and
wait for the car to be delivered. His clients who are receiving cars now could have ordered before the pandemic, depending upon the make and model of the car. Please see CARS on A2
The Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez will be celebrating New Year’s Eve a little differently this year. Ringing in 2020 at the casino consisted of a dance party in the Samala Showroom featuring The Boogie Knights and The Spazmatics, bands playing 1970s and ’80s music respectively. But this year, the casino is
singing a different tune with all live entertainment canceled because of the pandemic. The casino was able to reopen with temperature kiosks, social distancing measures, physical barriers, hand sanitizer stations, face coverings and restricted smoking. Guests are still able to enjoy the slot machines, table games and food and beverage outlets, but no live music or dance parties will occur this time around.
L O T TE R Y RES U L TS
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By GRAYCE MCCORMICK What is usually a night full of champagne and locals eagerly waiting for the ball to drop at restaurants, bars and hotels will be a lot quieter this New Year’s Eve. With the regional stay-athome order extended until Jan. 21, many local food and drink establishments will choose to close their doors early on New Year’s Eve at a time when they’re only able to serve food to go. State Street is typically bustling with activity on the last day of the year, with residents dressed up and ready to reflect on the previous year and ring in the new one. Sandbar, for example, typically hosts a dance party with club music and stays open well into the night. This year, the Mexican restaurant and tequila bar can
By ANNELISE HANSHAW Managers of local car dealerships have seen their customers’ behavior change during the pandemic. At the onset of COVID-19, dealerships struggled. “When COVID first hit in March, the first month or two slowed down a bit. That’s when we cut back our staff to about 50%,” said Brian Terp, general manager of Bunnin Chevrolet Cadillac in Santa Barbara. According to Edmunds, an online automotive resource based in Santa Monica, April saw a 53% decrease in auto sales compared to April 2019. It was a 30-year low for the industry. Hoping to coax buyers back, manufacturers offered 0% interest-finance deals. It’s the highest level of 0% deals since 2004, Edmunds reported in a news release. “Right when everything started, (deals) got aggressive,” Mr. Terp said, noting the financing of deals with no interest for seven years and no payments for months. “It seemed like everyone was trying to find a solution to help everyone out.” In the spring, many manufacturing plants shut down, and workers contracted the virus. The production slowed way down — which became a problem when demand increased. “There is less supply,” Bill Fogg, general manager at Santa
Regional lockdown extended, quieter night for restaurants
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