Kelsey Hackett didn’t expect to be sitting, reading a novel with the lights out and the gates closed over Starbucks during her usual opening shift.
Gator Dining Services lost power in the Reitz Union food court for two hours Tuesday morning, except Subway, Pollo Tropical, Arredondo Cafe and P.O.D. Market.
Hackett, a 19-year-old Starbucks employee, said she was in the middle of making a latte for a customer when the power went out, and the espresso machine stopped working around 8:45 a.m.
“We had a lot of upset people,” the UF fine arts sophomore said.
The employees gave customers who had already paid free-drink vouchers so they could come back when the power was fixed.
UF environmental management junior and Starbucks employee Allie Crow said they were most worried about the products in the freezer. The supervisor and an employee had to move all the frozen products to the Freshens freezer downstairs in the Reitz Union.
When the power went out, the Starbucks employees completed all of their cleaning tasks for the day, and most of the morning crew were sent home.
“We’re just waiting,” Crow, 20, said.
Mike Mironack, the director of operations at the Reitz Union, said the power outage was caused by a major circuit breaker that went out in the food court. It took the maintenance team at the Reitz Union a few tries to get the power back on because they were dealing with a large, high-power panel.
“It gave us a little bit of trouble, but we got it back on,” he said.
Panda Express and Croutons had their power restored just before 11 a.m. The Starbucks bakery case and oven light turned back on at 11:02 a.m., and the soothing elevator music sounded again.
Crow then lifted the gates and filled orders for two men who got in line as soon as she went behind the counter.
As she was brewing coffee and bagging a pastry for a customer, a line of eight guests had already formed within 10 minutes.
She explained to customers that she couldn’t make any specialty drinks, but she could make any type of tea and brewed coffee and that they could get pastries.
“I’ll be right with you,” she said to everyone in line.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 11/5/2014]
