What to Know
- On July 1st The Dead Rabbit in NYC had a kitchen fire, forcing the bar to close during repairs.
- The bar re-opened on July 19th with an adjusted menu while the kitchen is still being fixed.
- One of the kitchen workers prevented an even bigger fire by turning the gas off in the building when he saw the flames.
The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog has re-opened after a kitchen fire earlier this month.
On July 1st, grease in the kitchen caused a duct to catch fire and spread throughout the kitchen, managing partner Jack McGarry said.
"I think the big thing is we're incredibly grateful that it wasn't worse and that nobody got hurt," McGarry said.
FDNY is still investigating the fire but the devastation could have been significantly worse if a kitchen worker hadn't stepped in. McGarry said every worker is trained to cut the gas in the building when a fire takes place but there's a difference between training and real-life situations.
The kitchen was destroyed as was the electrical grid within the building, costing the bar over half a million dollars in repairs, according to McGarry.
After 18 days of being closed, the bar opened again but with a cold menu since they still do not have a working kitchen.
Local
The bar opened in 2013 and won World's Best Bar in both 2015 and 2016. McGarry and his business partner wanted to create a bar that was both an Irish pub -- since they are both from Belfast -- and an upscale cocktail bar combined.
"We wanted to create a bar that's not gonna be here today and gone tomorrow but a bar that has longevity," McGarry said.
After the fire, the bar received support from the community in New York as well as their community back in Belfast. The support helped McGarry and the other workers through the tough time while the bar was closed.
"The block felt different when the bar wasn't open. It didn't feel the same," McGarry said.
