Downtown SLO restaurant was gearing up for indoor dining. A fire put that on hold
A popular restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo is closing for a while — but the closure has nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic.
Luna Red will shut its doors at 1023 Chorro St. for a week or so due to a kitchen fire on Tuesday, according to co-owner Shanny Covey.
The shutdown will allow Covey, her business partner Robin Covey and their staffers time to clean everything. Also, some crucial equipment has to be replaced, connected and tested.
Luna Red will need three new pieces of pricey gas-powered restaurant equipment, she said, including two ranges and a deep fryer. They were damaged during the fire and the fight to contain the blaze and put it out.
“The gas company won’t OK having these reconnected, so we have to get new ones,” Shanny Covey said, adding that she didn’t know yet what the combined total cost will be for damages and lost days of work and sales.
The Coveys are well-known to local diners. Shanny Covey also owns Robin’s restaurant in Cambria, while Robin Covey also owns Novo Restaurant & Lounge in San Luis Obispo.
SLO restaurant fire started in deep fryer
According to James Blattler, San Luis Obispo City Fire Department spokesman, the blaze at Luna Red started in a deep fryer and was reported soon after 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Damage from the fire was initially estimated at $51,000, he said, and the cause is listed as an accidental equipment failure.
There were no injuries, largely because the restaurant’s employees “did all the right things,” Blattler said.
According to Blattler, workers tried to use the proper fire extinguisher for a grease fire, and when they couldn’t douse the blaze, they activated the automatic, dry-chemical fire-suppression system, which is required in any commercial kitchen that has a fryer unit in it. Then the employees quickly left the building and called 911.
Arriving firefighters found smoke coming out of the roof and active fire inside the kitchen, Blattler said.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze “in about five minutes,” Blattler said, using a combination of chemicals around the fryer and traditional hose lays in fire areas that didn’t have grease in them.
“You never want to put water on a grease fire,” he said. “It will spread the fire so fast.”
When dealing with a fire that starts in a pan on the stove, he said, the first thing to do is “put a lid on it.”
Luna Red gears up for indoor dining service
According to Shanny Covey, the blaze was extinguished before it could get totally out of hand.
“It wasn’t a big fire,” she said, adding that “nobody was hurt, and there was nobody in the kitchen” when the blaze started.
“We’ll get new equipment,” Covey added, “and insurance will cover it.”
The restaurant’s business policy also includes loss-of-income and staff-salary compensation, she added, benefits that kick in 72 hours after the fire-caused closure.
San Luis Obispo County recently shift back the red tier of coronavirus restrictions under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which means local restaurants are allowed to offer limited indoor service.
Luna Red was already transitioning to indoor dining when the fire struck, according to Covey.
“We were gearing up for full service, and a menu change,” she said.
This forced closure, while unfortunate, “gives us a little breather and downtime to work on the menu” and some expected staff changes, Covey said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 3:42 PM.
