The German Butcher Carries On Despite Partial Power Outage

Potential customers roll into the parking lot of the just in time for dinner to only find the delicatessen closed.

One lady frowned in disappointment and said, “Oh man,” just before driving away.

The restaurant and shop located in Forked River has been experiencing a partial power outage after Hurricane Irene tore through the area .

The store runs on a three-phase system and has been able to maintain its lighting and refrigerators - but lacks air conditioning. The fridges have been running on a backup generator that owner Wolfgang Barsch purchased 15 years ago and never had a need for until now.

The Lacey landmark, which has been in business for over 40 years, experienced a power outage on Sunday, Aug. 28, the morning of the storm.

“It’s unfortunate. It took a bit of ingenuity to get everything in place,” Barsch said.

On Monday, the Ocean County Health Department stopped by to inspect the restaurant. They were impressed by the German Butcher’s preparation and maintenance, Barsch said.

Barsch anticipated a power outage and began preparing three days in advance of the storm. He put all perishable items in three fridges, put plywood on the windows, sandbagged the doors and had phone call chains ready to inform employees of conditions.

“We were prepared. That’s why we have zero loss,” he said. “Planning was a big part of minimizing losses. I planned for the worst.”

Even though the German Butcher has lighting and refrigeration, the air conditioning is a big concern for Barsch, he said.

“The inconvenience of not having air condition isn’t good. It does hurt business when we don’t have air condition because people want to be comfortable,” he said.

Barsch has been closing the restaurant and shop at 5 p.m. since the power outage began because the late afternoon hours get too hot and the fans they have been utilizing do not provide enough relief, he said.

But he still considers himself fortunate that he did not lose more due to the storm, he said.

JCP&L has been unable to provide a timeline for when they will be able to restore power to the restaurant. Barsch is hoping they will have air conditioning by the end of the weekend so they are able to once again operate on a normal schedule, he said.

“I don’t get overly excited. I know there are still so many people in dire need,” he said.

The German Butcher has still been busy despite the conditions.

“I can’t believe all these people still come, without air conditioning, and they’re happy,” Barsch said.

Barsch has been greeting customers at the door to explain the circumstances that the store is operating under but they do not seem to mind. Customers respond that they’re there for the product and services, he said.

“That’s certainly very rewarding. You have a customer, you’re good to them and they’re good to you,” Barsch said.