Italian restaurant shut for a month by kitchen blaze
FOOD DONATED TO CHARITY AND BOOKINGS SWITCHED TO SISTER VENUE
MUCH-LOVED Italian restaurant Don Giovanni will be shut for at least four weeks after a fire tore through the kitchen.
Firefighters were scrambled to the restaurant on Oxford Street in the city centre, at around 5.50am.
Restaurant bosses initially thought they would have to shut for three days, but the fire damage is worse than expected.
It will now have to remain shut for at least four weeks while repairs take place. To avoid any food going to waste the restaurant has donated perishable items to local charity FareShare.
The food will be distributed to community groups and vulnerable people, such as homeless hostels, children’s breakfast clubs and domestic violence refuges.
A statement from Don Giovanni’s said: “The team at Don Giovanni would like to thank the people of Manchester for their kind messages of support following the fire incident.
“We’d also like to thank the fire service and the police for their heroic actions whilst containing and resolving the fire.
“From every negative situation, we do out best to seek out the positives. We’re happy to have been able to give our perishable food items to local charity FareShare, who redistribute to those in need.
“The charity support community groups such as homeless hostels, children’s breakfast clubs and domestic violence refuges.
“The fire damage is worse than we originally expected so unfortunately we are having to close the restaurant for at least four weeks.
“We offer our apologies to all our valued customers who had bookings during this period.
“We are accommodating as many of the bookings as we can at our sister site Cibo on Liverpool Road and will be running a supplementary menu where a lot of dishes from Don Giovanni will be added and available from today.
“We promise to keep everyone updated on an exact opening date.”
Three fire engines, from Manchester Cathedral and Salford, tackled the blaze in the early hours of Wednesday. Images shared on social media showed the front window of the restaurant smashed in and police tape surrounding it.
A witness said: “There was definitely smoke in the air, a fire alarm blaring, office workers in the street and a smashed glass front door.”
Don Giovanni is the oldest independent Italian restaurant in the city and has been a popular destination for diners since 1984.