Bakery losing money due to alleged problems with Duke Energy's electrical service - WKRC TV Cincinnati

Bakery losing money due to alleged problems with Duke Energy's electrical service

CHEVIOT, Ohio (WKRC) - A small business said it’s losing money due to a problem with its electric service. The bakery owner is trying to upgrade and is upset by the alleged lack of response from Duke Energy.

Angela Grillo creates delicious pastries in the kitchen while her manager Mary Beth Doyle works the store, selling the handmade delights at a bakery in Cheviot.

“When we first purchased this building, it was fine because we were just making wedding cakes” said Grillo.

She started Maribelle Cakey and bought the building at 3704 Cheviot Avenue 13 years ago. She recently moved her other business, Mon-Petit-Choux, from downtown Cincinnati into the same space.

“We're at the point of complete max. If we turn on an extra fan or something it can push down one side," said Grillo.

Grillo has been wanting to upgrade her electricity.

“There’s a lot of financial things we can be doing that could be making us more money. We're missing out on those opportunities and I feel like they need to be held accountable for not responding," said Grillo.

Duke spokesman Jeff Brooks said that they have recently reached out to the customer about upgrade plans and want to work to resolve the issues.

“We’ve been working on that process. My understanding is that we're waiting for some information from the customer about their internal wiring to make sure it’s safe to connect that upgraded service to their facility," said Brooks.

Local 12 was given email exchanges between the customer and Duke Energy that showed the bakery did have their electrician assess the building.

An email from Frey Electric to Duke said:

“I've attached the estimated loads and service information for the Maribelle Cakery project."

Another email exchange with a Duke Energy engineer from October said:

“The total cost for adding 3-phase up to Cheviot Avenue and a 3-phase service for you will be $15,533."

Grill also wants to know why the bill doesn’t come with a cost breakdown.

According to Brooks, Duke doesn’t normally give an itemized bill.

“We're more than happy to walk through it with the customer, but it’s not included in the standard bill format because a lot of this equipment isn't something the customer would be familiar with.”

The bakery has four pieces of equipment that they can’t use such as an espresso machine and a large bakery case. Grillo said that if powered on a fuse will blow and everything will go dark. She wants to grow her business by having sit down customers for a coffee shop and making bread to sell wholesale.

"Financially we're losing at least $10,000 a month right now," said Grillo.

Until the power cords can be plugged in, there will be no spark to help her bakery.

Duke spokesman Jeff Brooks said the $15,000 is the cost for upgrades and there isn't a profit margin, just a pass through of costs. He said a designer will revisit the project to see if there are other options that can help reduce that price.