Spartanburg Locals Respond to Hurricane Heleneโs Fallout
In Spartanburg, South Carolina, residents have found themselves engaged in quite an unexpected flurry of action, due to the recent destructive rumble of Hurricane Helene.
And not just any ordinary action, but a scramble to find places to quench their hunger and have a satisfying meal as over 1.1 million power blackouts have been recorded since Friday, leaving a great number of people without places to refrigerate food. An influx of customers at open restaurants in the Upstate has been an unsurprising fallout.
Restaurants Serving Despite Power Outage
“We’ve been super short-staffed, blessed that we’ve had power. But the demand has been crazy,” reported Rick Morris, the owner of a popular local diner. His establishment trained to cater to about 1,100 orders in the past two days alone. Signs of the abnormal demand could be noted as the diner had to close as early as 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday for lack of stock, instead of its usual midnight closing time.
However, amidst the rush and ensuing chaos, Morris expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the communityโs response, saying, “People have been very understanding and very patient. Seeing how well the community has reacted to our situation has been amazing.”
La Paz Mexican Restaurant & Grill, another local favorite, has continued its operations amidst the chaos, with the exception of accepting online orders. The constant rush of customers has put stress on their system, but they have no choice but to continue serving their customers as usual.
“We’re still seating people relatively quickly, which is good,” said the manager, Neyvi Tinoco. “We’re just going to keep serving people until we run out.”
Notably, several establishments without power have discovered innovative ways to maintain operation. Smoking Butt Heads BBQ, for instance, is doing all of its cooking outside on a grill in the absence of electricity. The owner, Todd Smith, noted a significant increase in customers tips as they appreciate the efforts to stay open.
The Spirit of Community
“We know that if we don’t cook it, we’ll lose it. We’ve got a generator running and just trying to feed the community.” said Smith. “These people killed it out here in tips, man. Everyone is being very generous and appreciative.”
Despite the significant challenges the community faces, the spirit of unity and resilience shown by the restaurants and their customers is a testimony to the power of community cooperation and support in times of crisis. The restaurant owners and their customers have shown an admirable level of understanding, patience, and generosity to ensure everyone is fed, and no one is left behind.
