Rebuilding Deep Cove Chalet after the late October fire that forced the closure of the North Saanich restaurant, will take some time.
According to a voicemail greeting recorded by owner Pierre Koffel the 46-year-old fine dining establishment will not open its doors to the public again until at least March or April, 2019.
RELATED: Fire damages Deep Cove Chalet in North Saanich
| A fire that broke out in the kitchen of Deep Cove Chalet Oct. 28 left the restaurant with significant damage and the owners don’t anticipate re-opening until spring 2019. (Wolf Depner/News staff) |
On Oct. 28, while finishing up a Saturday evening shift at the restaurant, Pierre, his wife Bev and an employee were inside the building when a fire broke out in the kitchen.
The flames traveled through an exhaust vent to the roof, inflicting significant damage to the interior of the restaurant at 11190 Chalet Road. At the time, North Saanich Fire Department Chief John Trelford estimated the damage to be in the $100,000 range.
RELATED: Strong support for Deep Cove Chalet after weekend fire
A notice on the restaurant website notifying guests of the fire reads: “We will update the site as soon as we have a firm reopening date.”
Support for the restaurant poured in on social media after news of the fire reached longtime customers and Koffel thanked those who have shown interest in the future of the Chalet.
“We’d like to thank everyone who sent us emails and calls,” Koffel said in the greeting. “If all goes well, we should be open either March or April depending on reconstruction.”
