Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Akiyoshi
The nightmare on King Street began late in the evening of Wednesday June 12. A cascade of events damaged the underground cables that power downtown Honolulu, overloading Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Iwilei substation and knocking out power the next morning to downtown, Chinatown and across the neighborhood of the Capitol. By midday, people were being sent home en masse as crews worked to restore power, which remained out most of the day.
Four days later, a fire Monday evening damaged more underground cables in several locations downtown and Chinatown. Once again, entire city blocks and pockets of buildings, including 1000 Bishop St., where Frolic’s parent company is headquartered, were plunged into darkness. Businesses were forced to shut down again, without HECO providing a clear timeline for when power would be restored. All lost sales, many lost their stocks of perishable goods and workers lost their wages.
Business insurance will help, but it won’t cover the cost of time lost preparing meals. With the paperwork and red tape involved in filing a claim and getting it approved, restaurants will likely take months to see relief. Businesses that have suffered a loss are encouraged to document everything and file a claim with HECO, once the damage has been assessed within 30 days of the incident.
What can you do to help?
A community march planned this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. by Chinatown Board President Ernest Caravalho and Honolulu City Council Member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam aims to “draw attention positive impact on the downtown Chinatown district and to generate interest in local businesses.” It will begin at the new Inspiration Hawai’i Museum at 900 Richards Street and stop at various locations throughout Downtown and Chinatown, highlighting various improvements to the area.
Black Clover Tavern posted this plea on his Instagram:
“With (so far) three days of lost business last week due to two different power outages, Chinatown’s bars, restaurants and stores have taken a hit. We are asking you to come this weekend to support our small community. Bring your friends and family to enjoy a meal, have a drink, buy a lei, go shopping, see art, etc. at your favorite Chinatown spots. Every visit helps our local businesses continue to thrive. Chinatown nō ka ‘oi.
Downtown restaurants were also affected. Here’s who lost power last week, along with comments sent to us or reposted from their Instagrams:
“We are going to check all our stock to see what has melted and needs to be donated. Thank you very much to everyone who contacted us to offer a helping hand. We feel so supported by our incredible community! We will be back 100% and open Sunday!!
“Unfortunately, some of our friends on the street are still without power… Please get out and support those who are open by doing their best to keep their doors open. We need to take care of each other when times get tough. —Instagram post from the Asato family
House of Bread
“Since the outage began, we have faced significant difficulties and losses: all of our food supplies were spoiled, unique coffee beans reserved and stored for our customers were destroyed, a substantial loss of sales, essential to our survival, especially as a small business. The trips back and forth to maintain our generator… are unstable and exhausting. —Kelsie Mercado-Uehara, co-owner, Drip Studio
Le Bistrot de Duc
“The Festival has been open for eight and a half years and maybe we’ve had (a power outage) once every two years, but never this long. HECO’s level of communication needs to be clearer. I think about lost revenue, lost product, and lost time. There is a trickle-down effect on the small farmers and suppliers we work with who do not have orders to fulfill from us. I worry for first-generation homeowners who will struggle to navigate the paperwork and red tape involved in getting out of this ordeal. —Chuck Bussler, co-owner, Fête
Fort Street Cafe
Ginger and garlic
“Our employees, who depend on their salaries and benefits to support themselves and their families, are being hit the hardest. We were forced to close three days in a single week. For a new restaurant that has been open less than a month, this disruption is overwhelming. We are facing significant losses of revenue and perishable products. Not only did we lose all of our raw ingredients, but we also lost all of the sauces and stews that took countless hours to prepare. Most of the ingredients we use come from specialist suppliers who are not on island, and even if power is restored by this evening, we will have to offer a limited menu until we can replenish our stocks . —Bao Tran, chef and partner, Thursday
Jun Bo Chinese Restaurant
Cattle Tavern
Lucky Belly
Maria Bonita Restaurant
Marugame Udon
Ohana dish
Paris Baguette
Pho Kim An
“This breakdown is not normal. Not for this period and I fear this will continue more often with the arrival of railway construction. It’s not ideal for restaurants here to be without power for their food supply for days, let alone an hour. The ripple effect is real for restaurants, employees and customers. » —Alex Le, co-owner, The Pig and the Lady
“A huge thank you to all of our employees, friends, family, loved ones and community for their unwavering support and love during this time.—reaching out, lending us refrigeration space and an oven, charging our batteries at the substation, providing security, dropping off food and drinks, and the list goes on. Sorry for all the trouble this has caused each of you, but we really appreciate your patience as we try to get through this difficult time. —Instagram post by Chanter Cheong Yuan
Metro
“Day 3 and devastated to learn we won’t have power today. We are frustrated and tired but will always be open. We are out of 3 portable batteries that friends help us charge throughout the day. Consider stopping by some businesses around us today! We’ve heard that some businesses that got power yesterday are getting power again today.
Thanks again to everyone who has already helped us enormously. We are very grateful to our community and will continue to extend our flash sales because we have to keep the show going! Lychee Hilo Kaimana $7.99/LB! » – Instagram post from Sun Chong Grocery Store
The Tchin Tchin! Bar
“Sorry guys, this won’t be open in the near future. Everything is melted. —Instagram post from Wing Ice Cream