Lake business bounces back

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The last big vacation weekend of the summer usually gets many people in the water on area lakes. This year brought the Castaneda family from Houston. It's their annual family reunion. This year there are at least 15 people in their lively group.

Last Labor Day was much quieter on the lake. Boats couldn't get in the water; there wasn't enough of it and that left empty parking lots and empty tables and lake restaurants and other businesses.

"It was very challenging." says Jason Claunch, Carlos and Charlies' manager. "We had Mother Nature against us, the economy against us. "Basically we had to come up with a different formula and we tried to execute it and stay open."

Just to stay open, Carlos and Charlie's slashed jobs and much of its overhead. This year though, everything is back; water, staff, lake-goers and their money.

"It's just like a normal summer for us," says Claunch.  "At the beginning of the year we had to basically find 70 percent of our employees again and basically like starting a new restaurant for us."

The restaurant doesn't mind starting over again. As long as it means Mother Nature decides to be nice so  they can keep their doors open.