Michael Donahue
Michael Bomarito examines fire damage in the prep area of Pete and Sam’s restaurant.
Michael Donahue
Pete and Sam’s is closed after a fire around midnight Dec. 12.
Michael Donahue
Fire didn’t spread to the dining areas of Pete and Sam’s.
Pete and Sam’s Italian restaurant may be closed for one or two months due to a fire that broke out early Dec. 12.
“Merry Christmas,” said Michael Bomarito, one of the owners, as he stood in the dark, chilly building later that afternoon.
The fire broke out around midnight, but nobody was in the restaurant, he said. They had a slow night, so everybody was gone by 11 p.m., he said.
A worker who was across the street at a gas station noticed the fire and sent Bomarito a four-second video. Bomarito saw the blaze when he arrived.
The fire happened in the prep area around the range hood, Bomarito said, but they’ve had “no confirmation from the fire department.”
It appears to be the same thing that happened in 1998 when a fire left the legendary restaurant at 3886 Park closed for three months, he said.
This time, thought, there was no smoke damage in the dining rooms, which, like the kitchen, appeared normal.
The insurance adjuster hasn’t yet been to the restaurant, so Bomarito doesn’t know how much damage was done and how much it will cost to get the restaurant open.
He anticipates Pete and Sam’s could be closed one or two months.
“The ravioli machine was undamaged, so it will be rolling soon,” Bomarito said.
