After a kitchen fire forced the shuttering of The Porch Restaurant and Bar in mid-July, the cherished Sacramento Southern comfort spot has opened its doors once again. Over the past month, the midtown establishment at 19th and K streets has been busy with repairs and renovations, culminating in a weekend reopening just in time for the holiday crowd, as reported by CBS News Sacramento.
"We are officially reopened from being closed for a month and a half," said Shelby Davis, The Porch's general manager, standing in front of the repainted and refreshed exterior, now basking in the support of the community. Despite the flames that ravaged the building's back and the despair that followed, Davis and her team could save the heart of the place with only smoke and water damage tainting the interior, CBS News Sacramento learned from their interview.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Sacramento Fire Department. John Lopez, the owner of The Porch, suspects it might have been sparked by loitering, leading to enhanced lighting as one of the key improvements during the renovation. As observed by Lopez, brighter now than before, the new lighting aims to deter such unwelcome activities, as noted by KCRA.
While the staff were fortunate that the cinder block construction of The Porch prevented the fire from devastating the interior, the closure nonetheless meant a sudden pause in business and a worrying gap in employment for the establishment's personnel. "The halt in business afterwards and losing all the product and all the customers, it's just been really surreal," Matthew Biela, the executive chef, shared about sitting anxiously through the restoration process, awaiting updates from contractors, as detailed in a conversation with KCRA.
The grand reopening kicked off with a weekend celebration, complete with a live band, that saw the unveiling of new menu items and signature cocktails. The Porch is also serving dinner on Sunday nights, now an addition to the long-standing tradition of Sunday brunch, aiming to regain its foothold as a community staple. "Nothing is going to keep us down. We're going to keep being here and we're going to be that staple for everyone and part of the community," Biela conveyed an optimistic outlook to KCRA.
