Motivated by lost sales, businesses reopen in New York

NEW YORK – Two days after Superstorm Sandy brought business in New York City to a standstill, stores that lost power are again serving customers, albeit by flashlight. Companies with closed offices are setting up shop in coffeehouses. And the owner of the Skylight Diner is borrowing bacon from his neighbors because the restaurant’s cupboard is bare.

The world’s financial center is struggling to get back to work as it deals with a subway system that’s still crippled by the worst damage in its 108-year-history and power outages in major sections of the city. That’s kept both employees and customers at bay.

New York City is home to roughly a million companies of all sizes. While the impact of Sandy varies, the city’s businesses face billions of dollars in damages and lost sales. So while reopening quickly is a priority, it can require resourcefulness and a smidge of creativity.

For Teddy Papaioannou, that meant calling in some favors. On Wednesday, the co-owner of the Skylight Diner was running low on supplies at his restaurant in the midtown section of the Manhattan borough, so he borrowed a few pounds of bacon from his neighbors who also are restaurant owners.

Papaioannou and his brother and father, who all own the diner jointly, were so eager to open that the three of them even chauffeured employees around on Tuesday and Wednesday. They picked up a total of 20 workers for various shifts over the two-day period.

“Closing for three days would ruin us for a month,” he said.

Lost sales were also a big motivator for other business owners. William Badie, owner of Food Fair food market and deli, estimated he lost $8,000 because the store was closed on Monday and Tuesday. So he made sure he was open Wednesday. Only one of his usual three staffers could make it into work, so he paid for him to get there.

The 40-minute cab ride into Manhattan from the Queens borough typically costs about $35, which wasn’t a huge cost, he figured, especially considering that he expected to make about $1,500 on Wednesday. But by afternoon, only two customers were eating lunch at a small table, and another man bought a turkey sandwich. Still, Badie said he’s fortunate because he never lost power and didn’t have to throw away anything.

“It’s very slow. There are no customers,” he said. “But business is like that. You lose or you make. You can complain, but who is going to listen to you?”