Houston restaurants prepare for hurricane season

Devastating winds followed by a major power outage, torrential rain followed by flooding and days and days of recovery. However, we are not talking about a hurricane, but rather a derecho, the storm phenomenon that surprised Houston on May 16. Not only did its passage leave hundreds of thousands of people without power, among other impacts, but it also hurt a group that is always there for everyone else in times of crisis: the food industry.

Without power for several days, many restaurants suffered inventory and revenue losses, and employees were left without their usual paychecks. Now, with hurricane season in full swing since June 1, Houston restaurants are learning from the derecho to try to better prepare for what could happen.

Cherif Mbodji, director of operations and partner at Navy Blue, Bludorn and Bar Bludorn, says the derecho was one of the harshest storms the restaurant group has experienced since its inception. Minutes after the incident, the hotel group’s three restaurants lost power, resulting in a loss of nine working days in total. Fortunately, the establishments did not suffer any physical damage.

Navy Blue was the first to restore power, after two days. Meanwhile, Bludorn was out of business Thursday through Saturday lunchtime, which meant things had to be shuffled around to be able to open with a limited menu. The last to restore power was Bar Bludorn, which was restored the following Monday.

To combat the loss of inventory due to the prolonged power outage, the group preserved everything they owned by purchasing ice and dry ice to keep the temperature stable. When this became too difficult to maintain, Bar Bludorn brought the community together to host a meal using their inventory so nothing would go to waste. However, inventory losses further added to the financial impact of the storms on restaurants. Mbodji says he has lost about $20,000 in income per day, which also means many of his employees have lost their salaries.

Given the unpredictability that each future storm can bring, Mbodji says there is only one thing to do: create an adaptable, sustainable and effective action plan. He says restaurants now have action plans for critical situations, in which managers make sure everyone understands the tasks at hand, such as throwing away compromised food.

“I think every closure we’ve had due to weather has taught us something new,” says Mbodji.

Another restaurant that suffered heavy impacts from the storm was Jūn, run by chefs Henry Lu and Evelyn Garcia. Lu says the restaurant lost power the day of the storm and it wasn’t restored until Wednesday afternoon. Luckily, the restaurant has a walk-in freezer that kept things cold, while other things were frozen.

However, once the outage passed the third day, Lu says it was obvious his inventory would be a total loss. Like Bar Bludorn, the restaurant cooked what it had and distributed hot meals to the community.

“For us, it was really about taking care of ourselves, and then making sure that this product didn’t end up in the trash, we could at least feed our neighborhood that was severely impacted,” Garcia says.

The restaurant lost approximately $80,000 in revenue and $10,000 in inventory.

Jūn is a new restaurant that has yet to go through an active hurricane season. Garcia says the storm was a wake-up call for preparation, especially since the restaurant’s exterior is 90 percent glass. Lu says they are currently doing maintenance and preventative work, such as properly sealing all windows and walls, and discussing using sandbags for areas that cannot be sealed.

Meanwhile, local restaurant owner Erin Smith experienced similar impacts at Feges BBQ. With each storm that hits, Smith says she and her husband Patrick Feges have learned a lot along the way.

For example, Smith says they now stock camping lights and various portable lights that run on charged batteries. This way, in the event of a power outage, the kitchen, which has no windows or natural light, will not be as dangerous for employees, especially in the heat. surfaces. With the most recent storms and tornadoes, the team is discussing what to do and where to go to make sure everyone in the facility is safe, should another weather event like this occur.

“It’s as simple as having a plan, because obviously it can be a scary situation, but it’s really important to have a plan and bring everyone to that plan in the moment to help keep everything the world calms down,” Smith says.

Looking ahead to this hurricane season, Smith says they are discussing how to prepare for storms of even greater magnitude. Every restaurateur we spoke to has had conversations regarding generators, but Smith notes that it’s not always a good solution.

“Just because a business gets a generator doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be able to save their products,” says Smith. “And one thing that I think is very important for people to understand is that even if you can keep something in the refrigerator for seven days, if you don’t serve it, it will spoil.”

While a generator could be helpful in reducing some losses, she says it’s not a realistic expectation for all businesses. One local restaurant that doesn’t see a generator in its future is 93 Til. Lung Ly, the chef and owner, says the restaurant lost power on Thursday and wasn’t restored until Sunday morning, meaning it was closed during its busiest days. Meanwhile, much of the inventory had to be thrown away due to the limited storage space 93 Til has. In total, Ly estimates the restaurant lost about $40,000, and that was the same week sales taxes and wages were due.

Ly says a generator is out of his budget, but he’s instead focused on short-term bandages, like extra coolers for storage, to get through the next hurricane season. He learned another big lesson from the derecho: “I will take these weather warnings seriously in the future and be better prepared, for example by making to-do lists so staff are ready in the event of another power outage.” , says Ly.

Ly notes that he used his own money to restock inventory during the shutdown, meaning he was unable to reimburse himself due to lost revenue. Faced with this huge financial hit, Ly decided to turn to the Southern Smoke Foundation for help – another good source that he says should be a priority for the food and beverage industry if another storm hits. harm occurs in the future.

Southern Smoke, overseen by Executive Director Lindsey Brown (who co-founded the organization in 2015 with her husband and celebrity chef Chris Shepherd), is a nonprofit organization that serves as a safety net for the food and beverage industry .

“I think what sets us apart most from other large crisis relief organizations is that we give directly to individuals,” Brown says. “Whatever puts you in crisis, we will help you get out of it. »

Bludorn, Feges BBQ and Jūn restaurants also asked their employees to seek help from Southern Smoke. After the derecho, Brown says the nonprofit received more than 500 requests for crisis assistance from Houston-area employees and awarded $260,500 to nearly 300 of them .

Given the large number of applications and the nature of the storm, Southern Smoke created a system based on how long restaurants were without power, whether employees were also without power, and whether there was loss of groceries. And although this fast-moving but powerful storm took Houston by surprise, Brown says there are steps individuals can take if it happens again.

The foundation’s tips include collecting copies of pay stubs, having an active email, storing important documents properly, creating an emergency supply kit, and knowing where to get help. other resources.

“We’re trying to remind the broader community that opportunities like this are your chance to give back to those who always give to us,” Brown says. “It’s always the people who think of themselves last, and that’s when you can step in and help them.”