Economy Brings a Change of Fortune for Some; Not All Businesses Suffer Slowdown
Michael Hill, manager of the Pilot House Restaurant and Marina in Woodbridge, is crying the blues this summer -- he has had fewer customers than usual all year.</br></br>During the peak months of April, May and June, only about 40 people showed up each night. He's used to seeing 60. And those who went to the restaurant spent less money, ordered meals that cost less or split a plate. On busy weekend nights, the wait for a table is down to 20 minutes; last summer, it was an hour or more.</br></br>In Manassas, Dominion Semiconductor is unphased by the slowing national economy. Dominion, one of the largest companies in the area, has never stopped hiring and business is steady, said spokesman Mark Holcomb. The company's business plan includes hiring hundreds of people by 2002.</br></br>"We have done nothing to scale back operations based upon a slowdown in the local economy," Holcomb said. "I don't think there is much evidence of a slowdown here."</br></br>Those cases in Prince William County reflect the friction between the local and national economy. Prince William has followed the national economy in some areas but bucks the trend in others.