South Padre Island merchants are reporting a boost in profit thanks to the July 4 turnout.

It was business as usual at Pineapple Ninja's patio restaurant. They opened up their doors just two weeks ago, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday rush.

"It was a success, we had tons of people. Normally we do 200 to 300 pineapples a day. That day was 500 a day," employee Jose Luis Riza said.

During the holiday week, the business sold 4,000 pineapples as food and drinks.

The restaurant says the strong holiday sales will help carry the business through the slower winter months, while also funding future projects.

"What we're trying to do with this success is, as we're building, it's to create our second location too," Riza said. "The food industry, we got to understand that sometimes it's kind of like a roller coaster, it goes down, up, we just got to be patient and consistent with your clients."

Visit South Padre Island says that success was shared across the island.

"Every business here on the island benefits from high visitation, so we're very happy to see that everybody was busy and everybody was packed," Visit South Padre Island Social Media and International Affairs Specialist Denisse Villalobos said. "Everything that is generated during those busy months, it also helps them to continue their services year-around."

Preliminary tourism data shows thousands of visitors stayed at hotels on the island during Fourth of July weekend.

"Last year, the general occupancy was around 81 percent for hotels and VRMs and it seems like at this point we're trending to hit around 90 percent occupancy, which is really good for our island," Villalobos said.

That increased visitation was also felt on the roads. Traffic was backed up for hours as drivers made their way on and off the island.

Some residents say the congestion was unlike anything they've ever seen before.

"All I can see was cars, on the bridge, backed up, past Laguna Heights, past Laguna Vista," resident Tommy J. Saenz said. "I've never seen it this crowded. Every square inch was taken up by pedestrians or cars. It was very crowded bumper to bumper, 2 in the morning, 3 in the morning, you had to walk everywhere."

After a holiday weekend that brought around 90 percent hotel occupancy, tourism officials say preparation can help visitors avoid some of the holiday hassle.

"Planning wisely ahead of time also with the activities or restaurant reservations, it's always wise to always plan these things ahead as much time as possible," Villalobos said.

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