Apparently, the biggest risk during the power outage was a shortage of coffee. While the airport continued to operate, the rest of the island was in a panic over where to get their morning joe.
“It looked like Black Friday,” Kihei resident Arthur Criste Jr. said of Piilani Village Shopping Center. “This parking lot was crazy busy. People were trying to get gas, Starbucks was closed and everybody was going to Minit Stop for coffee.Now, that's an emergency. Luckily, we had brewed our coffee the night before and stored it in the refrigerator. Sure, we might have lost all our food if the power hadn't come on early, but at least we had coffee.
Donna Tabulinar, store manager of the Minit Stop, said her store sold five to six times more coffee than she has ever sold in a day — even surpassing free coffee promotions.
Maui unplugged | The Maui NewsWe went for a drive around 8:30 Tuesday morning. Any place that had power and was serving coffee had a line out the door. Gas stations were especially busy. In Lahaina, people were milling around a darkened Starbucks looking lost and confused. Cheeseburger in Paradise, one of the few places in Lahaina with power and serving breakfast, had a line down the street.
Further down the West Maui Coast, the Starbucks in Kihei was open with a long line out the door. The parking lot for the nearby Safeway was full as people were stocking up on - I don't know. I would think batteries but maybe it was coffee.
By the time we got there, nearly all The Shops at Wailea were fully functioning. By then, I was ready for another cup of coffee myself so I set about looking for a quick cup to go. Lappert's, Honolulu Coffee, and Island Gourmet Markets all had long lines. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf remained closed altogether. I gave up.
By Wednesday morning, the island of Maui was able to get their regular cup of joe at their favorite establishments. And a sense of calm prevailed.
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