At Kounter, restaurant operations have come to a halt. Now, it’s feeding NC storm workers.
A Rock Hill restaurant steps up to support linemen, providing thousands of meals to those restoring power in NC.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation across the Southeast, outages have left more than a million in the Carolinas without power. Amidst the chaos, a Rock Hill restaurant known for its significant site in civil rights history has become an advocate. Kounter has temporarily closed its doors to regular customers – to support lineman at Duke Energy as they tend to relief efforts.
Kounter’s team, led by Chef Rob Masone, is currently serving between 600 and 800 meals daily at Duke Energy’s training facility in Kings Mountain.
“We got a phone call and prayed about it, and it just felt like we needed to put our talents to use,” Masone told CharlotteFive. “We’re going to go do some of the things that we do well for some of the folks that are dealing with a lot of things that none of us want to imagine dealing with on a daily basis right now, but I couldn’t do this without my entire team. This is a lot. It’s a big ask.”
US Foods covers some costs in Helene relief effort
With support from US Foods, which is covering refrigeration costs and helping with the logistics of food supply, the partnership between Kounter and Duke Energy has become an essential part of the disaster relief efforts. Masone expressed his appreciation for US foods’ role, noting, “We have a good relationship with US Foods here in Rock Hill …. US Foods reached out and said, ‘How can we help out? How can we get involved?’”
The meals being prepared include pork, chicken and beef dishes. Each morning, the linemen receive hot breakfasts and cold lunches packed for them to take with them into the field. And after a long day’s work, they are served dinner before heading to their hotels or cots.
Kounter is trying to ‘create a little sense of normalcy’
“We’re trying to create a little sense of normalcy for them when they get back up. You know, I can’t speak for all the great things and the hard things that they’re doing out there, But I mean, it’s got to be, it’s not just physically taxing for them. I mean, they’re just working hard. They’re finding a lot of things out there that none of us want to think about,” Masone said.
This effort required all hands on deck from the Kounter staff for the 24-hour operation. “We’re producing all day, all night. We’re shipping, moving things back and forth from Rock Hill, South Carolina, to Kings Mountain every few hours,” Masone said. “My team has showed up, and we’re working on very little sleep. We got a lot less sleep in our future, and we’re rocking and rolling.”
Masone remains focused on one primary goal: “My job is to make sure these guys get fed, and they have a good meal.”
For the time being, Kounter’s doors will remain closed to regular diners, but the restaurant’s heart is firmly rooted in serving the community.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Kounter, email hello@kre8events.com for more information.
Kounter
Location: 135 E Main Street, Suite 101, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Cuisine: American
Instagram: @kounterdining
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
