US companies hustle to reopen after Sandy

Desperately seeking coffee

New Yorkers searching for a cup of coffee had more luck with small chains or delicatessens and, in some cases, Dunkin' Donuts than Starbucks.

On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, two Starbucks stores on Broadway six blocks apart were closed. A window sign read: "Blame the weatherman, not us. Sorry but we are closed to inclement weather. We look forward to seeing you soon."

People walk past a closed Starbucks in lower Manhattan in the aftermath of Sandy in New York, Oct 30, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

French Roast at 85th Street and Broadway had a long line of customers waiting for a place in the bistro-style eatery. A nearby Dunkin' Donuts was closed.

Dunkin' Donuts franchisees are responsible for making decisions to open their restaurants, a spokesman said, adding that the stores at Rockefeller Center and Penn Station were open.

Sue Chen, who owns three Dunkin' Donut stores on Long Island where almost a million homes and businesses were without power, had power at two of her stores.

"I have to thank my manager," Chen said on Tuesday from behind the counter at her store in Sea Cliff, where she was helping five employees keep up with demand. "Last night, at 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, he came here and started to make the bagels." Chen said workers at the store live nearby, so the manager told them to come in.

About 250 Starbucks stores from Virginia to Maine were closed, said spokeswoman Haley Drage. "All of our New York metro stores are closed," she said, adding that the company was assessing when it could safely reopen the stores.

"We're trying to ensure partner safety. We don't want partners traveling if it's not safe," she said, noting that authorities in many localities had urged residents to limit traveling.