Harris Grill owners plan to reopen after Shadyside fire
intense heat spread throughout that first level. Every bottle on the bar exploded from the temperatures, a jukebox and fireplace were destroyed, and “the stuff that’s melted here is incredible,” he said.
Still, fallout on the second and third floors was limited largely to smoke and water damage, Mr. Swartz said. He’s a partner in Barrel of Monkeys LLC, the corporate entity that includes the Shadyside restaurant, a Harris Grill location in Downtown and Harris’ Shiloh Grill in
Mount Washington.
The company was working Wednesday to relocate the 38 workers at the Ellsworth Avenue property to the other two restaurants “so we don’t have them out on the bread line — hopefully,” Mr. Swartz said. The establishments are known for their “Bacon Night” on Tuesdays.
Insurance is likely to cover repairs in Shadyside, although it wasn’t clear Wednesday how long those might take, Mr. Swartz said. Restoration at the building took about nine months after a fire in summer 2007, but he’s hopeful the process
will be smoother this time, he said.
The structure is estimated to be around a century old. No one was there when the fire began, Mr. Swartz said.
“We’re very, very thankful that nobody was hurt. We’re very happy with the quick response from the fire department, and we look forward to rebuilding,” he said. “In the meantime, we’re still alive and well in Mount Washington and Downtown.”