City Tavern bounces back from fire
Walter Staib, the chef/owner, said he didn't think the damage was severe initially.
City Tavern, the popular re-creation of an 18th-century pub at Second and Walnut Streets in Old City, comes back at lunchtime Friday, Oct. 24 - one week after an early morning fire.
Walter Staib, the chef/owner, said he didn't think the damage was severe initially. It started on the loading platform outside the restaurant in a bin used by his linen service, he said. "Spontaneous combustion, maybe the chemicals, or something else?" he asked. "I don't know. I've been doing the same shtick for 20 years with no problems." A Fire Department spokesman said the fire was still under investigation.
Staib said the fire took out the air-conditioning compressor and made its way into the kitchen by way of the exhaust system. "We have a state-of-the-art fire [suppression] system, which knocked it down," he said. But the chemicals ruined the kitchen, including some furnishings and the ceiling.
Staib credited six days' hard work to make repairs and secure new equipment and furnishings.
There was no interior damage, other than an odor of smoke, which was cleared out.