ORLANDO, Fla. — There have been 13 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the U.S., and zero of them are in Florida. 

  • Chinese businesses reporting drop in customers 
  • Taste of Chengdu says it sees fewer Chinese travelers
  • Businesses in Mills 50 say they've seen business drop recently
  • COMPLETE COVERAGE: The Novel Coronavirus

Reports of the coronavirus's spread in China, however, are leading to concerns for Chinese businesses here in the U.S. 

Taste of Chendu on West Colonial Drive in Orlando is authentic Chinese food.

“Chengdu is Sichuan Provence, it's the capital of the Sichuan,” said restaurant owner Paula Han.

But its travelers from China looking for that familiar meal haven’t been able to visit Paula Han’s Orlando restaurant because of the coronavirus.

“When we first opened I could say we were probably 95 percent all Chinese," Han explained.  "Now the change is up to 60-40.” 

According to the New York Times, restaurants in Manhattan's Chinatown have seen sales drop by up to 70 percent in the last two weeks.

While anecdotal, lunch goers Spectrum News spoke with Wednesday afternoon say they aren’t going out to as many Chinese restaurants as they used to because the coronavirus is top of mind.

“To be honest, me and my fiancé have talked about this, and we kind of feel like it has something to do with it,” Jessica Morales said.

To be clear, no cases of the Coronavirus have been found in Orlando, which means local business owners like Paula Han can give you an easy recommendation.

“I think it is OK for people to come out and go to local businesses that are owned by Chinese," Han said. 

Han also says this is the first time she’s seen a global crisis impact the restaurant business since 9/11.

“Global, this is the first one,” she said.

Chinese restaurants are open, and so are the seats waiting for you at the table.​

Other restaurants in the Mills 50 District said that in the last two weeks, business has been down anywhere between 20 to 30 percent, and they do believe it's because of people being mindful or afraid of the coronavirus.