Slow business in Columbia comes with the Fourth of July weekend. Several local restaurants said they expect it to be a 'ghost town' this weekend because people will be traveling out of town and going to the lake.

Executive chef of Bleu restaurant in downtown Columbia said they will be closed for this reason. 

"For this weekend we are closed on Saturday and Sunday," chef Trey Quinlan said. "We are predicting it to be kind of slow for business. Most people are heading out of town to go to the lake or just to catch the fireworks Saturday night." 

Quinlan also described how the people staying in Columbia are opting to be at home for barbecues instead of going out to eat. 

Although most restaurants said they expect barely any business, some said they feel good about remaining open.  Addison's owner Adam Dushoff said, "It's not going to be as good as a normal weekend would be and certainly there are going to be people out of town, but we do feel there are pretty good reasons for being open to justify it."

Restaurants aren't the only ones expecting to feel the hit for this holiday.  Columbia Courtyard Manager Bob McDonald said the past eight years have been tough on his hotel during the Fourth of July weekend.  They are working on special offers to drive families in town. 

"Working with the Convention and Visitors Bureau we have tried to bring more into Columbia and are still working on it," said McDonald.

Businesses said that the holiday falling on a weekend this year definitely hurts their business more than it would if it were on a weekday.