Economic Impacts of Red Tide Events on Restaurant Sales

The economic impact of red tide events were examined for three Southwest Florida waterfront restaurants. Daily gross sales from January 1996 through September were analyzed using a multiple regression time series model to examine whether the presence of a red tide, as measured within three and six miles of the beach, reduced sales revenues. Preliminary results indicate that red tide blooms closer to shore had a significantly large negative influence on sales revenues across restaurant locations.