KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's not just homeowners or renters having to deal with power outages and damages, local businesses are in the same boat. Some are still without power, but for those with the lights on, they're seeing more business than usual.
McLain's Bakery in the Waldo neighborhood lost power at 5 p.m. Friday evening when the storm hit. They had no choice but to take the next day off.
"Losing a Saturday worth of sales in Waldo, uh, it’s a big deal, but what do you do?" said T.J. Wright, the director of operations for the bakery.
Their biggest hurdle, Wright said, was working to get all the cakes and other refrigerated items out of the heat and into another cool space.
Luckily, McLain's Overland Park and Shawnee locations are up and running. Waldo-location employees lugged the goods from one fridge to another, which Wright estimates is anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000 worth of product.
The space on Gregory Boulevard and Grand Avenue still doesn't know when its power will be restored.
"I've heard multi-day and stuff just like everybody else has," Wright said.
With the Waldo location closed for the day, the Shawnee and Overland Park locations are seeing overflow and almost double the amount of their usual customers. That, and because some might not have another way to eat amid the power outages.
"A lot of people without power, so they’re going to be out eating," Wright said.
That influx is exactly what Governor Stumpy's Grill House is seeing, specifically because they didn't lose power. The bar's owner Kevin Ryan said they prepare for the summer weekends, but that Friday and Saturday were busier than normal.
"What was different was our phones were down, so therefore, our to-go orders and our Grubhub delivery service was not available," Ryan said. "So, people were just out and about. It was like a St. Paddy's Day for us, which is our Christmas."
With the internet still down, Ryan said they're having to trust that credit card charges are going through.
"We have, really nothing to go by," he said. "We’re ringing everything up and really flying by the seat of our pants, so to speak."
Ryan has owned the bar for 26 years and knows most of his customers by name, but now, he has to learn more names.
"The cool thing is we saw a lot of new people who really haven’t ventured this way," he said.
Most of those people are still without power, like Nathan Holm, who lives two blocks away from the bar.
"There’s actually a tree down on the power lines behind our house and we have not had anybody come out to look at it yet, so we’re not super hopeful (the power is) going to be on soon," Holm said. "We’re super happy that (Governor Stumpy's has) power today so I can sit here and have a beer, and charge my stuff."
For now, Ryan said he's not turning anyone away, and hopes the bar can be a refuge for those who aren't in a hurry to get back to their dark, hot homes.
"Sit back and relax and enjoy the AC here," Ryan said.
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