NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than a week after winter storms swept through Middle Tennessee, local businesses are still grappling with supply chain disruptions and power outages that are impacting their operations and revenue.
At Red Bicycle Coffee, owner Luis Cortes said the company has been forced to offer limited menus at some locations due to supply chain issues with things like breakfast meats and potatoes.
“We have been offering in some locations limited menus or just having those conversations with our customers and letting them know that we are limited on what we can offer at the moment for sure,” Cortes said.
“We started getting emails from our supply chain saying that deliveries would be delayed or we will not have deliveries this month,” Cortes said.
The coffee shop has had to modify its hours as staff members struggle to get to work during the ongoing weather challenges.
“You have employees calling you, texting you, seeing if they’re going to be able to get to work or not, or if we’re even going to open the doors,” Cortes said.
For small businesses like Red Bicycle Coffee, the financial impact is particularly severe.
“I mean, it hurts you so much because for us, we still have to do payroll. We still have to pay rent. We still have to buy the supplies, right? And we are, being a small business, it’s very much a nickel and dime business,” Cortes said.
At the Piggly Wiggly on Dickerson Pike, owner Freddie Robertson faced a different challenge – a complete power outage. The store had supplies ready to serve the community but couldn’t operate without electricity.
“We have the propane to keep their houses warm. That truck is full of food. We have the food here to get right back in here and open up as soon as you get our power on,” Robertson said.
Robertson’s power was restored Sunday morning after being without electricity for four days. Before that, when we spoke to him he expressed concern that neighborhoods like his may not be prioritized for power restoration, despite serving vulnerable populations.
“Get over here and check on this low-income neighborhood, guys, it’s very, very important. People are going hungry,” Robertson said.
When asked about ensuring equitable power restoration across different income levels, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said the city has tried to maintain “a broad distribution of warming locations as we track NES’s power outages.”
“I think all of that is taken into account where we have tried to be, have a broad distribution of warming locations as we track NES’s power outages,” O’Connell said.
He added that they’ve been looking at the map and monitoring where the outages are.
“We’re trying to make sure that where we see neighborhoods coming online versus those that might have prolonged outages, we’re able to target those resources as effectively as we can,” O’Connell said.
Watch the full story to see how these local businesses are adapting to ongoing challenges and hear directly from owners about their recovery efforts. Have you noticed impacts at your local businesses? Share your experiences with reporter Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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