NORTHAMPTON — A Friday afternoon grill fire forced Gombo Nola Kitchen & Oyster Bar to close through the weekend, costing the restaurant about $15,000 in lost revenue before its planned Wednesday reopening.
Co-owner Cassidy Bowman said that the restaurant lost merchandise in the fire and was forced to shut off its gas service and close for multiple days. Still, he noted that no one was injured in the fire and the building did not take any significant damage.
Bowman said he got a call from the restaurant’s manager at approximately 2 p.m. Friday informing him of the fire. He said staff members initially tried to extinguish the fire themselves, but were unsuccessful.
“The staff tried to put it out but it wasn’t going out, and they evacuated. They really performed admirably and bravely,” Bowman said. “[There was] 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.”
The fire, Bowman added, was mainly contained to the grill, though it may have partially spread to the fryer before the Northampton Fire Department extinguished it.
The restaurateur said that despite the hiccup, Gombo’s $1 oysters on Wednesdays usually draw a crowd. He thanked his customers and staff for their kindness and support in the days since the fire. The New Orleans-themed restaurant opened in May 2023.
“The Gombo family, the people that love Gombo, are everything,” he said. “People have been reaching out, and I’ve been sitting out front, and people just come up nonstop and talk. It’s lovely — it’s why we’re here, making people happy.”
Dining and Cooking