During a walk downtown with friends Monday afternoon, Scottsdale, Ariz. resident Charles Klar was quick to notice what had changed in Langley since his last visit years ago. Two of the city’s iconic restaurants — Dog House Tavern and Mike’s Place — are now closed and vacant. The hollow shells of the former restaurants reminded him of a “ghost town,” he observed.

Some say the perception of the city and its current eateries have been hurt by the absence of the two restaurants, as well as the Edgecliff Restaurant and Lounge on Cascade Avenue. Others are anxious for them to have purpose again. All three closed within the past decade.

But are there any tangible impacts from the vacancies? Have the closures hurt Langley?

City and business leaders say the biggest hit is to public perception, people like Klar who can’t help but wonder what the vacancies mean in terms of the Langley’s economic health.

“People see these empty spaces and say, ‘Why, this must be a dying town,’” said Music for the Eyes owner Fred Lundahl. “The fact that it is not is partly because of the vibrancy of the stuff that is open. It’s still something that people notice because they’re right there.”

The city has tried to make the best out of the situation by placing advertising inside the Dog House that can be viewed by nearby walkers. A similar effort has been made in the Mike’s Place building with the two inanimate forms of the Blues Brothers. During Christmastime, a model train rolls on tracks in view of the window.

Mayor Tim Callison said potential business owners are also missing a chance to capitalize on the high volume of visitors coming to town.

“I think it [Langley] has probably suffered, but, it has suffered in the effect that it has wasted opportunities for business operators to take advantage of the upswing in tourism and the number of people that are now looking for a place to have a breakfast or evening meal,” Callison said.

According to Callison, tourism in Langley is actually on the rise. The city uses three measures to determine rise in tourism, which include visits to the information center, sales tax revenue and hotel-motel accommodation tax revenues, Callison said. Visits to the information center are up 43 percent over the past six months, while sales tax and hotel-motel accommodation tax revenues have increased by 11.1 and 16.3 percent, respectively.

While it’s hard to complain about more visitors, there are impacts. With three of the city’s most popular eateries closed, more pressure has been put on those still open to feed the masses. That can be challenging on busy weekends, Langley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michaleen McGarry said. On the Fourth of July weekend, McGarry said people complained they were turned away from restaurants.

“When we have big events, people complain,” McGarry said.

Lisa Carvey, owner of The Braeburn, said business has sometimes been overwhelming at her Second Street restaurant. In mid-July during the Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay, Carvey said 400 customers were at her door. Her restaurant seats less than 50.

“We’re a small place and we are certainly filled to capacity and then some for most of the summer,” Carvey said. “It’s a good problem to have, but I do sometimes worry about the negative impact on people who want to come back to Langley and maybe feel there aren’t enough options.”

Carvey said the kitchen takes extra measures to ensure wait times are minimal.

“We do a limited menu for Ragnar for that high volume of people that we know are coming in,” Carvey said. “During the summer, we don’t do to-go orders on the weekend. It’s at the kitchen’s discretion. If we have a longer waiting line than 30 minutes, we take those folks as priority.”

Callison said that Mike’s Place building owner Karen Allen is currently working on rehabilitating the commercial space. He also said the city is currently working with Dog House Tavern building owners Charlie and Janice Kleiner in renovating the 100-year-old relic, and that they’re nearly ready to submit a building application.

Charlie Kleiner said an engineering firm hired by the duo recently completed a land survey. He also said that he shares people’s desire for the Dog House Tavern to reclaim its old status as a city icon.

“It’s been our goal since the beginning,” Kleiner said. “All of these delays have taken some of the wind out of the sails but we’re still pressing forward. It’s our ambition to create a restoration that the public will appreciate. Hopefully people who have been there years ago will appreciate the clean and rehabilitated structure.”

The future is less certain for the Edgecliff property, which is more than likely going to end up a home, said Leanne Finlay of Windemere Properties. She said other than some prospective restaurant owners last summer, two of whom were extremely qualified from Seattle, interest in use as a restaurant for the 1.165 property listed at $1,150,000 has been low.

She said the commercial kitchen may be the largest on South Whidbey and that the property would be more attractive to a seasoned restaurant owner than a newbie.

“It’s not for a beginner restaurant owner,” Finley said. “We need someone seasoned and we just haven’t had that.”