As temperatures rise after the summer student migration, business in Ames seems to drop.

Campustown businesses especially feel the customer cool down.

“We actually decrease business by one-third,” said Chris Omar, manager of Stomping Grounds cafe, 303 Welch Ave. Evenings slow down the most, he said.

At Welch Avenue Station, 207 Welch Ave., weekend business drops 20 to 30 percent, said manager Mike Adams. Weekday business stays about the same, he said.

“Our business is centered around students,” said Trevor Caughey, a manager at Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, 108 Hayward Ave.

When the students leave, Jimmy John’s nighttime business is cut by about 75 percent, Caughey said. During the summer, “we could run the store with four people,” Jimmy John’s general manager Tim Wright said.

Many establishments choose to cut hours during the summer since business is so slow.

Omar said he is considering closing Stomping Grounds an hour earlier. Welch Avenue Station is now opening at 5 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. on Fridays, Adams said.

Of the three Campustown businesses, Jimmy John’s has decreased its business hours during the summer the most. It now closes at 10 p.m. instead of 3 a.m., Caughey said.

And fewer business hours means fewer employees. Summer staff at Jimmy John’s is half the size of the school year staff, Wright said.

At Welch Avenue Station, some employee hours are cut back, Adams said.

Some view the summer slowdown as a break, while others are not too thrilled.

“I prefer it to be busy. When no one’s in here, it’s no fun to work,” Omar said.

Caughey said he feels differently. “Summertime’s a vacation time,” he said. If it were constantly busy, he added, managers wouldn’t get much of a vacation.

Adams said he sometimes looks for chores to keep him busy at work, such as painting and fixing chairs or even dusting the ceiling.

Campustown businesses are not the only ones feeling the financial chill of students leaving.

Sales at Taraccino Coffee, 539 Lincoln Way, have decreased by about 25 percent, Taraccino manager Dan Armstrong said.

Morning business has been consistent, but afternoon and night traffic has “come to a grinding halt,” Armstrong said.

Like Omar, Armstrong said he prefers it to be busy. “It’s nicer to have the lobby full because it adds to atmosphere,” he said.

When store traffic is slow, cleaning fills empty time, Armstrong said.

Business also slows slightly at Village Inn Restaurant, 524 Lincoln Way, said manager Debbie Goetz.

“We don’t like it too well,” she said.

Not all businesses have experienced a decrease in patronage, however.

“We’ve had quite a bit of traffic,” said Lynette Seymour, general manager of University Book Store.

Summer classes, camps and freshman orientation keep them busy, she said.

Preparing for the greek system’s August Rush keeps them busy as well, she said.

But even the busy University Book Store adjusts to summer by closing one hour earlier, Seymour said.