General Manager: 'Open Back Up As Quickly As We Can'

Coach Grill General Manger Jim Brosseau said staff and others are "working furiously" to ready the restaurant to reopen following a Monday night fire in the ventilation system.

Brosseau said that staff members are busy cleaning the restaurant, which sustained fire, smoke and water damage in places, so that can reopen once the damaged kitchen equipment is replaced.

"We're going to open back up as quickly as we can," Brosseau said, explaining that a "number of components" remain to be determined. For that reason, he couldn't offer a definite reopen date.

"Optimistically, we’ll be back in action by this weekend," he said, cautioning that he could be expressing "pie-in-the-sky optimism."

Though the restaurant is out of commission, Brosseau said many staff members are continuing to work.

“We’re going to do our best to make sure our staff is taken care of and no one is losing a significant amount of income,” Brosseau said.

Brosseau expressed gratefulness for the response and care of both staff members and guests, many of whom have called or stopped by to see what they can do to help the restuarant recover from the fire.

According to the Wayland Fire Department, the . The fire likely began when grease or some other cooking residue ignited in the ventilation system above the kitchen cooktop.

Fire damage was contained to the cooking unit, the ceiling above the unit, the kitchen vent system and the area between the ceiling and the roof. The kitchen sustained water damage, and smoke damage was more widespread in the restaurant. A fire department estimated the cost of .

The restaurant was serving guests when the fire broke out, but everyone evacuated safely and without injury.

“We’re all thankful," Brosseau said. "The First Responders from the town of Wayland were terrific in the time they got here, and their expertise in knocking down the fire in a professional manner.”