Kitchen fire cripples Takos & Beer 2 days before grand opening
Two days before its grand opening in a new location, staff of local staple Takos & Beer had to evacuate the new building due to a kitchen fire on Wednesday afternoon.
“Right before 3:30 p.m., the Yuma Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial structure fire,” said David Padilla Jr, YFD public information officer. “Our crews spent the next hour and a half searching for a fire extension, ensuring that the fire hadn’t spread and making sure it was out completely.”
Padilla said restaurant staff who were on site when the fire started minimized the damage using a fire extinguisher, but the kitchen area was filled with smoke when YFD arrived.
The fire’s origin is currently under investigation, and staff were informed the investigation could span weeks. The building is considered to be in a semi-hazardous condition, and staff were told they most likely wouldn’t be able to enter for two weeks.
Eddie Guzman, owner of multiple Yuma restaurants including Takos & Beer, said he doesn’t know how long it will be until this new location will be able to open.
“At this point, I don’t know until they let me in, so I can see how much damage was done,” Guzman said. “I’m just glad nobody got hurt.”
Many of the Guzman Hospitality Group’s restaurant managers were in the building when the fire started, painting walls and running system checks before the restaurant’s planned soft opening on April 4.
“We were so excited to show Yuma how Takos & Beer has grown and this setback is really sad,” said Anna Kohler, Director of Growth and Development for the Guzman Hospitality Group. “We know that Yuma will rally around us.”
Kohler said her team might try to serve the new restaurant’s menu from a food truck in the parking lot for the time being in order to allow staff to work.