Walnut Creek, California — Last week, a kitchen fire started just after midnight at the brand-new Original Joe’s restaurant in Walnut Creek, California.
The Contra Costa Fire Protection District told the Bay Area Telegraph at the time that the fire had damaged a wall inside Original Joe’s. We’d hoped that this would be an instance of relatively minor damage and that the restaurant would open in a day or two.
Now, it appears that the damage may have been more extensive. Almost a week after the original incident, Original Joe’s remains closed for business.
Shortly after the fire, Original Joe’s posted on its Instagram, officially announcing a temporary closure. In their words, “Due to a minor kitchen fire, Original Joe’s in Walnut Creek is temporarily closed.”
The Original Joe’s staff expressed thankfulness that nobody was injured and said that they were “grateful to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District for their quick response and containment.”
Original Joe’s also said that they look forward to reopening as quickly as possible. No opening date has yet been announced, though.
At almost a week since the fire, locals are starting to get worried. It’s one thing to close for a few days to repair a minor incident, but given that the restaurant had just finished its construction and permitting process, it could take a lot longer to reopen if parts of the interior need to be rebuilt.
Original Joe’s is also in a somewhat more tenuous position because they’ve just recruited a brand-new staff. That may make it harder to retain people in the kitchen and on the wait staff if the delay in reopening stretches on for a long time.
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Beyond the initial Instagram post, we don’t know much about the planned timeline for reopening Original Joe’s.
One thing we do know, however, is that the temporary closure has not dampened the community’s excitement and support for the new restaurant. Those who made it in before the fire raved about the food and service, and hundreds of people have already posted online, expressing their condolences for the closure and saying that they will be here to support Original Joe’s as soon as it reopens.
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