WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – A fire caused significant damage Wednesday morning to a popular restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek.
The blaze broke out at Lettuce Restaurant & Catering, located at 1632 Locust Street near Civic Drive, a little after 8 a.m. on August 19, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
“It was a single-alarm fire,” Lauren Ono of Con Fire told Bay Area Telegraph. “There was significant fire damage. No injuries.”
Photos from the scene sent in by reader Howard G show extensive damage inside the restaurant, including heavily blackened portions of the interior and debris throughout the space.
The fire is a major blow for one of downtown Walnut Creek’s longtime casual dining favorites.
Reports Of An Explosion Have Not Been Confirmed
Early accounts of the fire included reports that people at or near the restaurant may have heard what sounded like an explosion before the blaze.
Bay Area Telegraph asked Con Fire directly about those reports. Ono told us that she was not aware of an explosion, but that different things can make similar noises during a fire.
Con Fire says the official cause remains under investigation.
A Popular Downtown Walnut Creek Lunch Spot
Lettuce has operated for years on Locust Street, right by some of downtown Walnut Creek’s busiest shopping, dining and entertainment areas.
The restaurant specializes in salads, soups, sandwiches and pasta, and has developed an especially strong following as a downtown lunch destination.
Its menu includes large entree salads, half-sandwich combinations, homemade soups and a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Lettuce also operates a catering business serving events around the East Bay.
The restaurant has promoted a long list of local accolades over the years, including recognition as a top Walnut Creek lunch and salad destination.
That has made Lettuce the kind of restaurant that many local residents know well — even those who may not regularly venture to downtown Walnut Creek for dinner.
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What’s Next For Lettuce?
It is not yet clear how long the restaurant will remain closed or what will be required to repair the damage.
Con Fire described the damage as “significant,” and the restaurant will likely need to wait for investigators, insurers and building professionals to assess the property before the scope of any repairs becomes clear.
No reopening timeline has been announced.
The most important piece of good news is that nobody was injured in the fire.
For Lettuce and its customers, however, the incident leaves the future of a longtime Walnut Creek restaurant uncertain as investigators work to determine exactly what happened Wednesday morning.
Bay Area Telegraph will update this story as additional information becomes available about the cause of the fire and Lettuce’s plans to reopen.
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We love Lettuce and really admire the mother/daughter team that run it. Really fresh food is hard to find and they would have it in abundance. We’re especially sad as they had just remodeled the rear seating area which looks charred in the photo. We wish them all the best of luck in recovery.