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Koney King Owner Bought Generator Same Day as Gary Blackout
Koney King owner Jimmy Hendricks bought a $1,300 generator the day a derecho knocked out Gary's power. He kept the 100-year-old restaurant open for a week while 38,000 customers remained without electricity.
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When a derecho knocked out power across Gary, Indiana, on August 11, Jimmy Hendricks did not wait for the utility to restore it. He drove out that same day and bought a $1,300 generator.
The owner of Koney King, the hot dog and burger spot featured in a standalone episode of FX's "The Bear," woke in the middle of each night to fill gas cans because daytime lines at the stations ran too long. He kept the restaurant open on its normal schedule for a full week without grid power.
Koney King was one of the few restaurants in the area that could stay open during the blackout, Hendricks told Business Insider. Another Gary restaurant owner had said she lost $19,000 in sales after closing for most of the week.
"You just adapt to the situations when they arise, and your goal is to get through the day safely. That's it," Hendricks said.
The storm, a derecho that swept through northwestern Indiana on August 11, downed power lines and trees. As of Friday, 10 days after the storm, more than 38,000 customers remained without power, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said.
Koney King has been open for more than 100 years. It gained wider attention in May when an episode of "The Bear" called "Gary" showed characters Ritchie and Mikey stopping there on a drive from Chicago. A real Koney King employee played the counter worker in the scene.
Hendricks said staying open was stressful. He had to manage fridge and freezer temperatures, track inventory closely, and make sure the kitchen could feed everyone who came in. He praised his employees for not missing a shift.