Profit is ‘marginal,’ but local B-Quik gas stations take pride in staying open during storms

Managing to stay open throughout hurricanes Katrina and Gustav established a reputation for the three B-Quik convenience stores in Baton Rouge. On Wednesday, all three were open despite widespread power outages and business closures. But this time around, only the Perkins Road B-Quik was forced to rely on a backup 300-kilowatt generator; the other two locations, on Airline Highway and Greenwell Springs Road, never lost power. David Schumaker, general manager of the B-Quik stores, says the Perkins Road store stayed open through Wednesday night to provide service to law enforcement, first responders and utility workers—despite the 6 p.m. curfew. “That’s what we normally do,” Schumaker says. The expense to keep a store running smoothly on a diesel generator makes profits “marginal,” he says, but the stores “stay open as a service, more than anything.” The Perkins Road B-Quick regained electricity today at about 9:30 a.m., Schumaker adds. —Adam Pearson