By now you have probably heard, we’ve had to close shop for a few days for repairs. Last Saturday a small blaze in our ventilating system created a larger pain in the neck. As I walked into the restaurant the other day, surprised by the controlled chaos of a construction site, I couldn’t help but recall a framed needlepoint that hung in my friend’s mother’s kitchen that read…”When life gives you lemons make lemonade.” So right now as we bide our time until all is made right, we are first and foremost, counting our blessings and making lemonade. Here is the back story on what is going on with the fire at fire.
Saturday at 4:30 following brunch service the staff was prepping for a busy Saturday night. Our hero, dishwasher Dashon Alford stepped outside and happened to notice an unremarkable amount of smoke coming from the roof. It wasn’t ’till he walked out again a few moments later that he saw thick, billowing smoke and realized that we had a problem. Fire fighters arrived quickly and discovered the flames originated on the second story of the building in a ventilation duct snaking from our kitchen through to the roof. They worked quickly to get the situation under control. The problem was relatively small and contained. No one was harmed, and at no time was anyone ever in any danger. For this fact we are deeply grateful. The fire department was gone in a less than a half hour, but the restaurant was a mess. At that point our staff just rolled up their sleeves and set to work. In 4 hours our crew had the entire place cleaned up and ready for repairs. Our insurance team has been awesome-getting the construction professionals in fast to make the needed repairs. Things were going so well in fact, we thought we would be back in business in just a few days. Then reality reared its ugly head. Some of our custom venting equipment needed to be replaced. Custom equipment is just that… custom. SO we are waiting. We set to the sad task of canceling over a thousand reservations on our books. We feel just awful about any inconvenience this might have caused.
In the mean time we are making lemonade. After moving tables, linens, glassware, equipment and anything else, nailed down or not, to make way for construction (which you can see in these pictures) we have had the time to work on some long term projects. We have pushed up the release of our new Spring menu to next week when we reopen, (please stop by for a taste) and we are working on upcoming events. Truth is though, we miss the daily work and camaraderie of the kitchen and we miss serving you. The good news is it looks like we will reopen late next week. ..perhaps a little more grateful for the simple goodness of our work and our community. Thanks for hanging in there with us. Your kind words and support mean so much to us all. Happy holidays friends. We’ll keep you posted.
Post and photos by Amy Viny
11 Comments
Just made reservations for next Friday. Looking forward to trying the new spring menu!
The most important thing is no one was hurt. You have such an amazing restaurant and some of the best food Cleveland has to offer. Not to mention a kind and beautiful staff & chef. We look forward to. Coming. Ack when all is said & done & wish you guys all the best in the renovations. We are sure it will look great & can’t wait to try the new menu.
Thanks for posting the story and update. I’m sure that I speak for a lot of people by saying first that we are so glad that every one is OK. I also think that many of us feel your angst in not having the daily camaraderie amongst both staff and guests AND the pain of having to turn people away. While the loss of cash flow is unavoidable, you will certainly not lose any fans! I hope to be right there when you open back up to both show my support and to check out the new spring menu. xo from your fans to all of the staff at Fire.
So Glad everyone is Ok!!! Still one of the best places around with some of the best employees!I’m already craving the duck dish!!!
Thank goodness no one was hurt – hurray for Dashone! You are a “Winner”, Doug, so everyone knows you’ll be back stronger than ever. Blessings to you and your staff.
Hey everyone at FIRE–MISS YOU and cannot wait to come back–so happy no one was harmed–know we are thinking about you–Hugs–Linda and Bob Katz
Sorry to hear about the fire Doug. We’ll be by soon after you reopen.
Best wishes for a speedy, successful recovery! Looking forward to the new Spring Menu!
We feel terrible, yet we’re greatful that this wasn’t much worse. And hope that all will go well with the recovery work. It’s marvelous that no one was hurt…no lives were lost. You know…the really bad stuff that could have happened in such a situation. And we look forward to enjoying your Spring menu very soon. Big hugs to all. Linda & Freddie
Doug and gang,
So very sad about this setback. Will have to celebrate my B-day next week – hope that all will be fixed soon. Our thoughts are with you and your wonderful staff. You are all sorely missed by your loyal customers.
Our best,
Nancy and Bob Klein
We are so sorry to hear this news! Glad that everyone is ok and looking forward to seeing Fire open again soon.