We want to thank our customers for the support following the latest Uptown water main break. We also appreciate WDSU's Alyssa Gomez for interviewing us about the impact these boil water advisories have had on small businesses.
WDSU covered the impact of repeated boil water advisories on Uptown businesses after a 48-inch water main break near S. Carrollton and Panola. Kevin spoke with the station about what these shutdowns actually cost a small coffee shop and why CR Coffee takes every advisory seriously, even when it hurts.
The numbers are real. CR Coffee has lost an entire month's worth of rent in gross sales so far this year from all of the boil water advisories hitting Uptown. The shop stayed open during the latest advisory, but had to limit the menu and cut shifts. Employees lose hours. They lose tips. It adds up fast.
Here's what most people don't realize about running a coffee shop during a boil advisory: you can't just boil the water and carry on. CR Coffee's commercial water filtration systems are engineered specifically for potable water. They remove what you'd expect to find in clean water, such as chlorine. They are not designed to capture the contaminants present in non-potable water. Those contaminants can get trapped in the system, multiply over time, and pose serious health risks even after the advisory is lifted.
And the commercial brewers? They work similarly to a home hot water heater. Cold water enters the system and mixes with hot water in the tank before being drawn off from the top. The water in the tank isn't consistently boiling, so sterilization can't be guaranteed. No hot brewed coffee. No espresso.
So during advisories, CR serves what it safely can. That includes cold brew made before the advisory when the water was verified safe, plus verified clean ice. That's it. It's not the full menu, and it's not what keeps the lights on, but it's the right call.
It's hard living in New Orleans. It's even harder running a business in New Orleans. But I love New Orleans, and I wouldn't be anywhere else, so I've got to figure it out.
The Sewerage & Water Board has given CR Coffee plenty of practice navigating these advisories over the years. While they're precautionary by nature, the shop treats every single one the same way. We shut down what needs to be shut down, protect the equipment, protect the customers, and get back to the full menu as soon as the water is cleared.