DeKALB | A sudden power outage caused a stir for local businesses, customers and traffic last Thursday.

When the power went off for about two hours on parts of Lincoln Highway and Annie Glidden Road, many businesses along the roads were forced to shut down for several hours, with some even closing for the day.

Joann Gill, an NIU telecommunications operator, said operators received at least 16 calls pertaining to the outage.

A ComEd worker who wished to remain anonymous stated that an accident occurred on Annie Glidden Road, but would not specify what caused the power outage.

Quizno’s Subs, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway, was one of the businesses forced to close for a few hours, starting at noon. ComEd told businesses power would return by 2:30 p.m., said Quizno’s employee Alex Taylor.

Mary Davis, a manager at Quizno’s, said employees waited until all customers left, then locked the doors, cleaned the building and waited until power returned.

“We had to turn away about 50 people,” Davis said. “It happened right at our busiest hours.”

Quizno’s did not open any of its coolers while power was off, Davis said. When power returned, employees checked the temperature of the food to ensure its safety.

“Our biggest cooler stays good for at least eight hours,” she said.

Pizza Hut, 701 W. Lincoln Highway, also lost many customers at its most profitable time of the day, said manager Jon Holman. The business had to reject customers who came for the lunch buffet, he said.

“Pizza Hut usually makes about $250 every two hours, but with the lunch buffet, it makes a little more,” he said.

Pizza Hut locked its doors when all customers left, and could not open until 45 minutes after the power returned, Holman said.

Though several businesses lost customers, some brought in more due to the outage.

Hickey’s Corner Store, food and gas station, 218 W. Lincoln Highway, attracted about 50 more customers during the outage, said store owner Lee Hickey.

“The lights flickered and then came back on,” Hickey said. “Business kicked butt here because of the power outage and the end of the semester traffic.”

Other businesses along Lincoln Highway, including McDonald’s and Copy Services, said they did not lose power.

City of DeKalb workers began to disassemble stop lights on Lincoln Highway and Annie Glidden Road as soon as they began to regain power around 1:40 p.m.