'Our hearts just sank': Metro Vancouver restaurant damaged in fire
Early Sunday morning, Kingsley Ho — owner of Richmond’s The Story Cafe — made the unfortunate discovery that the patio of his restaurant had been damaged in an alleged arson attempt.
“Our patio is completely devastated,” Ho told Dished. “The entire structure is damaged — the glass roof, all the tables and chairs, propane heaters, aluminum low walls, speakers, wind guards — everything is ruined. It’s heartbreaking to even look at it.”
He added that the estimated damages are nearly $100,000 because of this fire. “For a small business like ours, this is overwhelming,” he said, adding that winter is already the slowest and most difficult season for a restaurant to survive. “It feels helpless to see years of hard work destroyed in seconds.”
Photos posted to Story Cafe’s Instagram show an individual lighting the patio on fire.
View this post on Instagram
Ho did add that thankfully, there were no damages to the interior of the restaurant due to a speedy response from the Richmond Fire Department. Currently, the restaurant remains open, but the future of its patio is uncertain.
“At this point, we honestly don’t know how or when we will be able to fully restore the patio,” said Ho. “The process with the insurance company will be long, and while the investigation is ongoing, we are not allowed to reopen that area.”
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Story Cafe first opened its doors in 2018 and grew in popularity for its menu of comfort eats and dog-friendly patio. The team also recently opened a new restaurant in Vancouver called The Sequel.
“We currently employ over 50 staff members who depend on us to support themselves and their families. Losing patio sales during this period will impact our revenue significantly, but we will try our very best to protect our team and keep everyone employed,” added Ho. “Right now, we just feel heartbroken and uncertain about what comes next. We can only hope for strength, support from the community, and better days ahead.”
Dished reached out to Richmond Fire-Rescue for comment.
The Story Cafe
Address: 2800 Sexsmith Rd., Richmond
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