Fresh Ketch fire

1/08 tahoe mt. news


By Kathryn Reed

A lingering smoky smell is the only thing diners might notice from the fire that shutdown the Fresh Ketch restaurant during Christmas week.
General Manager George West got a wake-up call at 2:30 Christmas morning from the fire alarm company. The South Lake Tahoe restaurant was on fire, though no flames were visible.
The floor in the upstairs kitchen and ceiling of the seafood bar sustained about $60,000 in damage. One of the upstairs stoves, the floor joist, ceiling panels and carpet have been replaced.
“The way the ovens are set up it was a long-term exposure of heat from the ovens on the wood below. It kept drying out the wood,” West said. “Firefighters said it could have been burning for days.”
He estimates the restaurant lost $80,000 in sales before it was able to open again on New Year’s Eve.
“The toughest part was the staff. They were counting on a big week,” West said. He said the 25 servers-bar staff might have lost out on $16,000 in tips.
2007 wasn’t kind to the company that owns the Ketch as well as the Beacon restaurant at Camp Richardson. The Beacon was closed during what is usually one of its busiest times because of the Angora Fire.