The ongoing Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) by Xcel Energy has caused vexation for businesses still wondering when power will be fully restored.

The Evergreen Bread Lounge, nestled off Bergen Parkway, was closed Wednesday and Thursday.

General Manager Tyler Butler walked into the business Thursday to find a majority of his products wasted, despite being held in freezers and walk-in coolers.

“We tried to save as much as we could by icing down our bread starters and frozen products,” he told The Denver Gazette. “We have thrown away about $40,000 in just food products and the labor it took to create our products. This number does not include what products would have sold for, as well.”

Thursday afternoon, Butler heard from Xcel that the area may not have power restored until Sunday.

Because the main product of the business is bread, getting enough supply together, laminated and baked will take around two days. Two days of labor without sales.

If the power is turned back on Saturday or Sunday, that puts the restaurant at reopening Tuesday at the earliest with minimal stock.

Therefore, the restaurant may have to cancel Christmas preorders.

“I don’t know if I can do that yet,” Butler said of holiday orders. “I don’t know if I can supply the restaurant and do extra orders. It’s just a lot to wrap your head around.”

J.R. Iannaccone, owner of Bistro Del Lago in Evergreen, shared the same sentiment. The restaurant’s power is back on Thursday, but the effects of Wednesday’s outage are still looming.

“It definitely affected us. We do everything fresh to plate,” he said. “We tossed about a whole fridge full of stuff. Probably a few thousand dollars’ worth of food.”

The restaurant plans to open Thursday evening with a first responder special for Xcel workers, but the cost to cover remaking inventory and paying staff could reach into the tens of thousands of dollars over the expected three-day stretch of shutoffs, Iannaccone said.

“It’s an unrecoverable cost. It will be interesting to see how the insurance world will handle it,” he added.

Multiple insurance agencies in Jefferson County declined to comment on what insurance claims would be accepted, but one anonymous agent wondered what the future would hold.

“There is spoilage insurance, but that usually has to be added to the policy,” the agent said. “Regarding disaster, this wasn’t Mother Nature. It was caused by a company. I’m not sure.”

“It’s a nightmare, especially right before the holidays,” Iannaccone said.