Posted on 09/24/2005 8:12:22 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
A handful of local restaurants opened their doors today despite countywide evacuation orders, serving lunch and dinner to the defiant
Todd Yates / Caller-Times
Issac Flores, server at Water Street Seafood Co. pushes through other staff members to deliver a tray of food Thursday, as he and other staff members who did not evacuate will keep the restaurant open as long as it has staff to operate.
Todd Yates / Caller-Times
David Homan of Corpus Christi picks up his order of food at the Executive Surf Club one of the few business to stay open in the downtown area Thursday after most of the city evacuated due to Hurricane Rita.
A handful of local restaurants opened their doors today despite countywide evacuation orders, serving lunch and dinner to the defiant, the duty-bound and the out-of-the-loop.
The Water Street Seafood Co. and the Executive Surf Club in Water Street Plaza downtown served lunch and drew large crowds.
Brad Lomax, who owns the restaurants and two other eateries in the plaza, said much of his staff evacuated at news of Hurricane Rita's approach. He said employees who worked today were being paid time and a half. "The hardest part is getting people together," he said.
Cruz Davila normally works in the restaurants' laundry department but stood in as hostess Thursday at Water Street Seafood Co. Davila, 32, said lunch was busier than usual with a mix of restaurant regulars and new faces.
"I've been getting calls from people who have been here for years, calling to see if we're open."
Lomax said he was too short-handed to open the Water Street Oyster Bar and Agua Java. But he said the Executive Surf Club would be open through the weekend during its regular hours from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Three firefighters from the Corpus Christi Fire Department ate lunch at the Surf Club. They are required by law to remain in the city despite evacuation orders. Fire Investigator John Luis said choosing a restaurant Thursday was easy: "It's one of the few places open," he said.
Across town at Utopia World Cuisine & Lounge at Staples Street and Saratoga Boulevard, the aluminum-shuttered windows belied the fact that the place was open for business. General Manager Scott Noble said restaurant's employees remained in Corpus Christi to weather the storm
"There was just a handful of us that were hell-bent on riding the storm out," he said. "We decided to come in and serve other people who were hell-bent on staying."
The restaurant hosted a group of Coast Guard pilots this morning and opened for business at 11:30 a.m. Noble said that unless the hurricane shifted directions to target Corpus Christi, the restaurant-lounge would be open until its regular closing time of 2 a.m.
Chain restaurants including McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Wendy's were operating in some places, closed in others.
The parking lot at Vernon's Bar-B-Q on 3rd Street was overflowing, its bar packed and its staff scrambling to keep up with a flood of orders.
"I'd say it's four times busier than normal -- at least," said Jim Dickson, co-owner, as he stuffed meat into sliced bread. Dickson said many who called to place orders for takeout were surprised to find Vernon's doing business as usual.
"The people are very appreciative," he said, "because there are very few restaurants open."
Never underestimate someone's desire to make money. Even at time-and-a-half, this guy is making money hand-over-fist. And his customers will remember him the next time the city is closed down.
Give that man four stars.
Free enterprise rocks.
Gonna have to try it, I guess. Never been there...
New Orleans should have such a law for police and rescue workers.
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