Brian Leventhal (L, co-founder), Conor McCormack (Center, the winemaker) and John Stires (R, co-founder) are in the Brooklyn Winery's Harvest Room with Chardonnay grapes.
Business: Brooklyn Winery
Location: Brooklyn, New York City
Hurricane Irene prompted a historic evacuation of many areas of New York City and shut down the entire mass transit system for the weekend. For the hospitality business -- bars, restaurants, lounges -- that was a blow.
"With the bar business, there is really no way to make that up. It is lost, that is really kind of the end of it," said Brian Leventhal, co-founder of Brooklyn Winery in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, which was closed Saturday and Sunday because of Irene.
"If you have any ideas how I can get an extra Saturday night, I am all ears, but I don't have an answer to that one," said Leventhal. For the Brooklyn Winery, Saturday night's bar business equals up to four weekday nights. And Sunday night is the bar's third biggest night of the week, after Saturday and then Friday.
In addition to losing the bar business for Saturday and Sunday nights, Brooklyn Winery had to postpone several weekend events.
Part of the Winery's consideration to stay shuttered on Sunday, despite the fact that Irene had already passed, was the shutdown of the mass transit system. "I don't want my staff to have to take $35 cab rides when they are normally taking a $2 subway ride," said Leventhal. And while the hit to the bottom line hurts, it also is not going to be "game changing," he said.
NEXT: Irene brings a jackpot