Gombo Nola Kitchen & Oyster Bar to reopen Wednesday after grill fire
The fire forced closure over the weekend but staff evacuated safely with no injuries or structural damage.
Gombo Nola Kitchen & Oyster Bar will reopen Wednesday after a grill fire forced the Northampton restaurant to close over the weekend. The fire broke out Friday afternoon in the kitchen, causing the restaurant to lose approximately $15,000 in revenue during the shutdown.
Co-owner Cassidy Bowman said staff members detected the fire around 2 p.m. and initially attempted to extinguish it themselves before evacuating. "The staff tried to put it out but it wasn't going out, and they evacuated. They really performed admirably and bravely," Bowman said. The Northampton Fire Department extinguished the blaze, which was mainly contained to the grill though it may have partially spread to the fryer.
No one was injured and the building sustained no significant damage, according to Bowman. The restaurant lost merchandise and had to discard a large amount of food. "No damage to the building, no damage to the kitchen, nobody hurt, thank God. It was just a gigantic cleanup project and we had to throw away a ton of food," Bowman said. The restaurant also had to shut off its gas service during the closure.
Bowman said the shutdown was difficult but expressed gratitude for customer and staff support. "People have been reaching out, and I've been sitting out front, and people just come up nonstop and talk. It's lovely," he said. The New Orleans-themed restaurant, which opened in May 2023, is known for its weekly dollar oyster promotion on Wednesdays.