Xeni Tzolis: “We started to run out of things.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com
By James Lomuscio
Today, Xeni Tzolis, owner of Westport’s Sherwood Diner, is catching his breath. So, too, is Carmelo Mioli, owner of Westport Pizzeria on Main Street. A few doors down, Lee Papageorge, owner of Oscar’s Delicatessen, also feels a return to normalcy.
Last weekend’s nor’easter that left thousands of Westporters without power brought an increase of as much of 50 percent in customers to eateries that had electricity.
They came in search of food, warmth and a place to relax amidst a backdrop of downed trees, wires and blocked roads. “It was definitely nonstop Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Tzolis whose family has owned the diner for 33 years.
Tzolis said the Sherwood, open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays, averaged about 1,000 more customers per day since Sunday, “about a 30 percent increase, and we started to run out of things.”
Staff who had not been scheduled to work were brought in, he said, and, “We started to run out of things, turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes.”
“There’s usually no wait here because we try to move people quickly, but there was a half-hour wait,” Tzolis said.
“It was like a war zone out there the first day,” he added. “There were so many roads closed and no stop lights. But you could see that everyone was trying to be nice to one another. 
Oscar’s Delicatessen saw a 15 percent increase in business because of the storm. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“Everyone seemed glad that we were here, that we had power, and that we could just give them a place to sit and relax.”
Mioli, who said the number of walk-in customers was up as much as 50 percent, echoed that his patrons were happy to find a place with power and heat, as well as food.
“I remember telling one guy here that there would be a wait for at least a half-hour, and he said he didn’t care if it took two hours,” said Mioli.
He said he had to augment his staff with his son, Francesco , who was of spring break from Fordham, and his son Alessandro, a Staples High School junior.
The biggest difficulty, Mioli said, arose with deliveries since much of the town had been transformed into a maze of blocked roads.
Westport’s McDonald’s opened for the first time today since the weekend storm. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“Before we reached the street, we found out it was blocked by fallen trees,” he said. “A delivery that normally took a half hour, wound up taking two hours.
”I said to those delivering that we have to go out of our way for the customers, not just for business, but because they need food, for humanity,” Mioli added.
Papageorge said that like downtown buildings with underground utilities, his deli did not lose power, and “We had a 15 percent increase in sales.”
“We had to have extra staff, extra bagels, extra everything,” he said. “It was really very busy, but we got through it.
“It was a silver lining after a very tough winter, “ Papageorge added, “and today is spring, and we’re giving away free spring rolls.”
The storm was not a bonanza for everyone. McDonalds at Post Road East and Roseville Road lost power early in the storm and only reopened today at 6 a.m.
Sakura was out for a couple of days but brought in a generator. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Owner Dave Hawthorne was not immediately available to provide details of the storm-caused shutdown.
The Japanese restaurant Sakura across the street fared a little better, according to manager Robert Thaw.
He said power went out Saturday at 3:45 p.m. but a generator was brought in Monday and the restaurant soon was back up and running.
“Even with a loss of a couple of days, we saw a 15-20 percent jump in business,” Thaw said.
