As power lines went downed and electricity was knocked out during the hurricane, some restaurants and other businesses stayed open to provide customer with necessities in the energy crisis.
One fast solution for a hot meal became pizza, and the other dishes available from local Italian eateries that maintained service, including Umberto’s Ristorante and Pizzeria In New Hyde Park and Da Angelo’s Pizzeria in Albertson.
Umberto’s averaged a 25 percent increase in pizza sales during the week following Hurricane Sandy, according to owner Umberto Corteo, who said regular pizzas and grandma pies – a specialty of Umberto’s – were the most popular. On more than one day, Umberto’s sold approximately 1,000 pizzas, manager Vinnie Corteo said. And it was all enabled by a generator purchased just before the storm.
“After 50 years, we learned. I had a feeling that this storm was going to be lot worse,” said Umberto Corteo, alluding to last year’s tropical storm Irene that ravaged the area.
The restaurant’s business and takeout business were generally brisk, with people taking out menu entrees besides pizza. Grandfather sandwiches made with ham, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and greens on fresh-baked artisan bread were popular and customer were buying the artisan bread itself.
Corteo said he was pleased to be able to help his customers weather the effects of the storm.
“It’s a good feeling and I’m also doing business. I’m lucky I have a good following and I’m trying to do the best of the best,” he said.
Da Angelo’s Pizza in Albertson lost electric power, but its gas powered stoves and pizza ovens kept working. So the restaurant served customers by candlelight during the evenings until the power came back on Thursday morning, according to co-owner Steve Giangrande.
“We never closed down. On Tuesday, we worked by candlelight,” he said last Friday, adding, “It’s been three days of craziness.”
A cousin in the produce business left one of his refrigerated trucks on the premises so the restaurant remained supplied with fresh ingredients.
From 11 each morning until 9:30 at night, Giangrande said the restaurant had constant lines. He estimated Da Angelo’s turned out more than 300 pies on Thursday, approximately doubling the amount of business it would typically do. And demand for other takeout dishes exceeded the demand for pizza, Giangrande said.
“I’m exhausted. But the expression on people’s faces made my day,” Giangrande said.
At Munder’s Hardware in Williston Park, a generator kept the doors open and demand high for a range of storm-related things.
“It started off with lanterns and batteries,” said Gregory Munder, son of owner Bill. “Recently it’s become things for survival.”
From lanterns and batteries, demand progressed to rakes and tarps for clean-up and then generator accessories.
Bill Munder said people were being sold generators without the requisite ground wires and extension chords.
“They’re not researching it. They’re buying generators without a plan,” Munder said.
He said he actually cut his business hours back to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. because he didn’t want people driving home in the dark without traffic lights.
“I wanted people to get home safe,” he said.
Bobby Shannon, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Willistons, stopped by Munder’s on Saturday morning to buy a power chord for his generator. He said local businesses were ready to go when power came back, and some were finding ways to maintain in the meantime.
He said his own business, Reality Roofing, had both repaired and installed roofs since the storm had struck, working closely with insurance companies to get clients’ houses “buttoned up.”
Pointing down the street to the Williston Park Deli, where owner Joe Polansky had kept things going with a generator, and said, “This guy’s your hero. Everything’s insane, but you can get that cup of coffee in the morning.”
Polansky declined the ‘hero’ moniker.
“I don’t consider myself a hero. I just did what I felt would be right. I’m just glad I was able to do it,” Polansky said.
At first, he said, the store was going to keep longer hours, but he decided 12-hour days of 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. were long enough. But if people approached the store at closing store, they were served. If they didn’t have cash, they were able to purchase food on credit. And Polansky said he also welcomed people powering up their phones or storing things in his freezer.
“We tried not to say no to anybody,” he said.
And Polansky was working in wake of recent rotator cuff surgery that limited his mobility.
“It was painful, but I had to do what I had to do,” he said.
Further down Hillside Avenue at John’s Variety Store, owner John Robinson stayed open without lights or heat to enable people to buy lights or batteries, or other necessities. And he also trusted people to pay later if they didn’t have cash handy.
“It was very cold,” he said.
On Herricks Road, Dominick’s Italian-American Delicatessen never lost power and provided its customers with the usual assortment of cold cuts, cheeses, chicken wings and other food to get them through the storm’s aftermath.
Vinnie Grosso, son of owner Dominick Grosso, said many customers were stopping in because of the local power outages.
“It’s been busy because of the limited amount of power in some spots,” he said.
He said people expressed gratitude that the popular local deli was up and running.
“People are always grateful around here,” he said.
