Downtown Paso Robles, normally bustling with tourists in the late summer months, is noticeably quiet this week.
"It's crazy. It's a little jarring. We didn't expect it," said Scott Anthes, visiting from Hermosa Beach.
"You definitely want to stay inside and not travel outside because it's just too hot," said Brittany Fowler, Morning After Cafe Lead Barista.
"I think more people go to the coast so we'll be busy this weekend, but not like we would if it were a little cooler," said Dee Aud, Co-Owner of Vic's Cafe.
Business owners say visitors mostly head to the coast when temperatures reach the triple digits, ultimately taking away from the lunch rush and hurting business.
"It probably has like a 10 or 20 percent impact on what that holiday weekend and those days leading up to it would be normally," Aud said.
Though Paso Robles residents are used to the heat, when temperatures become intolerable, many just stay home.
"Everybody is used to 100 in Paso, but when it gets above 100, yeah, I think it hurts things a little bit," Aud said.
At the Morning After Cafe, customers tried to sit outside but couldn't bear the triple digit temperatures at brunch.
"They started out this morning out here and then they moved inside because it's too hot," Fowler said.
Even seeking refuge indoors where the restaurant is air conditioned, everyone agrees — it is just uncomfortable.
"Even inside with the air on it's still pretty warm in there. We had to close our doors and everything because it's just too hot," Fowler said.
If you're looking for a place to cool off for free, Paso Robles has opened a cooling center that will remain open from noon to 6 p.m. over the next couple of days.
