That much needed cup of coffee that stirs many Brainerd residents into action each morning has been a little more difficult to obtain in the wake of the city of Brainerd's precautionary boil order for water issued Thursday afternoon.
One west Brainerd coffee establishment, Grab-A-Java, closed Friday and Saturday - their two biggest days of the week - as they scrambled to adjust to the order.
Co-owner Carla Stall estimated her business lost about $700 because of the lost days and it would have been more had there been a hockey camp taking place at the nearby Essentia Health Sports Center. Another advantage to the timing of the ban is that her business experiences a normal slow-down once school starts, she said.
"The main inconvenience was not knowing," she said regarding details of ban.
Signs at Grab-A-Java tell customers the coffee is brewed at 200 degrees and milk is heated with steam at a temperature of 160 degrees. The business brought in ice from Crosby for its drinks since the boil order.
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Stall said the Minnesota Department of Health had OKd their procedures. She said a city of Brainerd employee had tested their water Monday as part of citywide samplings that are going on.
Lisa Britton, first assistant manager at McDonald's in west Brainerd, said they are not serving coffee and most customers have been understanding of the restaurant's predicament. The restaurant's temporary hours are 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. until the restriction is lifted. It normally would be open until 1 a.m. each day. McDonald's is serving bottled water, Hi-C orange pop, milk, shakes, orange juice and apple juice. Water for doing dishes is being brought in to both Brainerd McDonald's locations from the Wal-Mart McDonald's in Baxter.
Mary Olson, general manager at Perkins restaurant said her business and others are going to great lengths to make conditions safe for customers. Non-Brainerd water is being used for coffee, juice and sodas. She said six five-gallon jugs of clean water are in rotation at the restaurant. Perkins, she said, is purchasing both ice and water. She said he hopes the restrictions will end soon.
"That would be great," she said Monday.
Staff at Coco Moon said bottled water is being used for the drinks made there. Staff members at North Wind Grille said they're also using non-Brainerd water for their beverages.
Megan Thompson, a server at T.J.'s Log Cabin on Seventh Street, said the restaurant is bringing in bottled water, canned pop and clean ice. Initially, they quit serving coffee, she said but as of Monday they boiled water to make instant coffee.
Toni Kaminski Czeczok, co-owner of Mickey's, said her business can't give customers free cups of water and is providing them with canned pop instead of fountain soda for its daily value meals. Mickey's temporarily discontinued serving coffee and the business is hauling in ice from other locations.
Employees are washing the vegetables with bottled water. Czeczok said the restaurant has been checking the Minnesota Department of Health website frequently for updates.
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Businesses weren't the only entities that have been inconvenienced by the boil order. Brainerd School District officials said 10,000 bottles of water are being shipped to schools each day. Earl Wolleat, director of buildings and grounds, said it could cost the district between $10,000 and $20,000 by the time the boil order is removed.
