Vongfong shutters 24-hour stores, restos

Typhoon Vongfong didn’t only force the closure of government offices and public and private schools yesterday but also shuttered retail establishments and restaurants on island.

A number of 24-hour supermarkets were ordered closed by Department of Public Safety officers by midnight yesterday, while a number of restaurants had to close shop earlier than usual because of the threat of the typhoon.

Twins Supermarket in Dandan and 99 Cents Supermarket in Garapan are just two 24-hour stores that were ordered closed by police because of the inclement weather.

A staff from Twins Supermarket said they closed around 12am. An hour later at 1am it was 99 Cents Supermarket’s turn to close down. A staff said DPS also ordered the establishment to padlock their doors because of the extreme weather conditions.

Operations of Shirley’s Coffee Shop, J’s Restaurant, and McDonald’s were also affected.

A staff from Shirley’s Coffee Shop said both their Susupe and Garapan locations were closed earlier than usual because of Vongfong.

Shirley’s Coffee Shop’s Susupe had to turn away dine-in customers beginning 7pm Sunday, while its Garapan location followed suit by 12pm.

However, despite closing their restaurants, Shirley’s Coffee Shop’s kitchens were operating full blast at both branches as their cooks were preparing food packages for emergency responders from Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

Shirley’s Coffee Shop prepared 200 bento boxes for HSEM and some 90 for CUC staff.

J’s Restaurant, meanwhile, closed its San Jose location 9pm Sunday and it opened 8am the next day, Monday.

The Middle Road branch of J’s Restaurant was not affected by Vongfong as its 24-hour operation continued without a hitch, according to staff of the restaurant.

Like Shirley’s Coffee Shop, J’s Restaurant’s Gualo Rai also had to work double-time to prepare food packages for CUC emergency crews.

McDonald’s Saipan also didn’t escape the wrath of Typhoon Vongfong, as according to marketing officer Anna Olaes, they were forced to close their Garapan branch along Beach Road.

She said when Mobil Oil Marianas decided to close their Beach Road gas station, McDonald’s had no recourse but to also shutter their 24-hour fastfood store. McDonald’s Saipan rents the location from the petroleum company.

Olaes said McDonald’s Saipan’s two branches opened around 11am yesterday.

Payday Sunday

While 24-hour stores had to cut their operations short, supermarkets on the island generally enjoyed brisk sales over the weekend as residents stocked up on emergency items.

At Joeten Shopping Center, supermarket manager J.J. Tenorio said they experienced the rush of customers as early as Saturday afternoon.

He said their aisles were brimming with customers who bought butane gas, bottled water, canned items like corned beef and luncheon meat, whole cases of chicken and spareribs, batteries, flashlights, candles, portables lamps, and first aid and survival kits.

Like the 24-hour supermarkets on island, Tenorio said they were forced to close their Garapan, Dandan, and Kagman supermarkets before 9pm on Sunday, while their Susupe main store maintained its normal operating hours from 9am to 8pm Sunday.

The same payday atmosphere was also prevalent at 99 Centers Supermarket, Twins Supermarket, and LJ’s Store in Chalan Kanoa, as shoppers almost cleared the stores’ stocks of instant noodles, canned goods, butane gas, bread, and other emergency items.

At Twins Supermarket, the same staff interviewed by Saipan Tribune said it was so busy Sunday night that their two cash register attendants had trouble keeping up with the customers.

At LJ’s Store, parking became a problem with the unusually high number of customers that crowded the store Sunday night. The Chalan Kanoa store is known for its bargain-basement prices that attract shoppers from as far as Garapan and Lower Base.

Customers wanting to escape their homes suddenly devoid of power because of yesterday’s brownouts also made a beeline to restaurants like Shirley’s Coffee Shop in Susupe and J’ Restaurant in Gualo Rai.

With other food establishments on Saipan closed, the two restaurants were jam-packed all throughout breakfast and lunch.

Like Mobil, Shell Marianas gas stations on Saipan were also closed and reportedly only started opening after lunch yesterday.