Christmas Morning Offered Few Retail, Dining Options for the Bah, Humbug Set

BERKELEY (KPIX) -- 7-Eleven, of course is always open and, on Christmas morning, it's practically the only game in town.

By mid-morning, the rush on batteries to power all those Christmas toys, was over. However, 7-Eleven was sharing -- or perhaps assaulting -- the holiday spirit with their plump, sizzling hot dogs on rollers.

"They're only a dollar today and they're also going to be a dollar on New Year's Day too, so come on down and eat a hot dog at 7-Eleven," said the joyous (?) clerk at the counter.

One customer doing some past-last-minute shopping, bought a gift card in an act of Christmas capitulation.

"7-Eleven is one of the only places open," he explained.

Meanwhile, across town at a Shell station, manager Ishwor Bussal attributed his Christmas retail traffic to the superior quality of his gasoline.

"My petrol pump is known for the best quality fuel" he bragged. One of the pumps was covered with an out-of-service sign. To be fair, all the other pumps were open and working well.

At Sal's Restaurant and Deli in Berkeley the place was absolutely packed, with hundreds of folks waiting to get in. A jazz band played outside and people danced. There was also a two-hour wait for a table.

"Everyone is working hard. We all got here early and we'll be here until 10 o'clock tonight," said employee Max Harris.

Judging by the happy faces, it seemed the wait was worth it.