'Very frustrating.' Louisville businesses lose thousands in sales following power outages

Monnik Beer Company, like thousands of others, lost power Friday night when a storm fueled by winds topping out at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour blew through the Louisville metro area.

After the power went out, employees at Monnik, 1036 E. Burnett Ave., in Schnitzelburg, began packing food products on ice to preserve whatever they could. At one point, employees even went out to purchase bags of ice over the weekend to keep food safe.

Despite being able to ice and preserve most of their product until their power was restored Sunday afternoon, Monnik Beer Company, like so many other local businesses, face substantial financial loss as a result of the ongoing power outage across the city.

"The biggest problem was just lost revenue," Brian Holton, co-owner of the brewing company, told The Courier Journal. "It would be safe to estimate around $20,000 lost."

Power outage in Kentucky More than 44,000 Kentucky customers are still without power after Friday's wind storm

Monnik was supposed to host a private event Friday night but was forced to cancel due to weather. That group then moved its event to a restaurant that had power.

"On one hand, you know, there's nothing to be done about it, there's nothing we could have done as a company to prevent it," Holton said. "On the other hand, it's very frustrating and hard to operate a successful business if you can't be open."

Restaurants and breweries weren’t the only businesses hit hard. Over on Preston Highway, the full-service Thomas Car Wash has been closed since around 6 p.m. on Friday due to a tree falling on the power lines. Currently, the other three Louisville locations are up and washing cars.

"It is a significant amount of money lost, but then luckily, if we have a good week, the following week, we can make up for it," Kristina Ellis, the brand director of the local car wash chain, told the Courier Journal.

The power outage wasn't the only problem for Thomas Car Wash. One of the express wash locations experienced a power surge, frying the entire computer system of that location. Since the Preston Highway location was down, it was able to temporarily use that computer to run the express wash, but the car wash company will still need to replace the fried computer, which is estimated to cost around $2,000.

Out in Crestwood, where many residents and businesses remain without power, Gustavo Reyes, owner of the Gustavo’s Mexican Grill chain with five locations across Louisville, said he saw between $30,000 to $40,000 worth of food inventory lost as a result of losing power.

The Crestwood location is the only location of his restaurant to lose power and has remained without power since Saturday.

You may like:How does LG&E prioritize outage repairs after a major storm?

"It's been hard, and we don't know when we're going to get the power back, but it's been really hard for us," Reyes said.

As Reyes waits for power to return to his restaurant, he said employees of the Crestwood location have been allowed to work at other locations, so they don’t "lose pay or lose time working."

He notes that this weather event has not only impacted his business but impacted both employees and customers' lives.

"It's hard not being able to serve because we love everyone and we miss everyone," Reyes said.

At this time, Reyes is choosing to remain hopeful that he will be able to file an insurance claim for the tens of thousands of dollars in lost food.

Just down the street in Crestwood, the Yew Dell Botanical Gardens also remains without power. Paul Cappiello, the executive director of the gardens, said "this could not have come at a worse time."

Yew Dell had just purchased roughly several thousand unrooted cuttings, which get their plant life started in the glass greenhouse at the gardens. The greenhouse lost power, but fortunately Yew Dell has a generator they were able to use to prevent losing "a whole season of sales," which Cappiello said is likely what would have happened if they couldn’t preserve the unrooted cuttings.

You may like:Louisville Public Works opens yard waste drop off sites Monday. Where you can drop off

While the garden managed to overcome the potential huge loss, it lost a lot of plants and trees already on the grounds. Employees have spent the last few days cleaning up the facility and doing hazard assessments to make it safe for visitors to return to once power is restored.

"After a storm like this, one of the things that's really key is, you have got to look up," Cappiello said. "You never know when a branch is broken, but it's hung up in a tree and sometimes three days later, the slightest breeze and you see that big branch come tumbling down."

While Cappiello didn't have an estimate of how much money the gardens have lost and continues to lose while closed, he said, "I don't think we've lost very much of our sales, material or stock … but it definitely cuts off visitors. Every person who comes through the gate is a potential new member or someone who's buying plants or signing up for programs or coming to volunteer."

As each of these businesses works to clean up and start again in the coming days, the loss and damage from the storm won't be forgotten. All they can do now is move forward.

"What can you do?" Ellis with Thomas Car Wash said. "I mean, we know that LG&E is working 24 hours a day, so we're just kind of thankful that they're working to get everyone up and running soon."

Contact reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville businesses lose thousands in sales after power outages