Northern Bay restaurant destroyed by fire will be rebuilt, says manager
Building was destroyed on Christmas Eve, manager says arson is not suspected
Hogans Takeout, a staple of Northern Bay in Conception Bay North, has been reduced to a pile of charred wood, metal and melted siding, but the owners say their hopes haven't been dashed.
Along with the restaurant, the building also hosted a convenience store, liquor store, postal outlet, and more recently, a pub.
A fire destroyed the building hours after the pub closed on Christmas Eve, causing shock throughout the small community of Northern Bay.
"I was devastated. Everybody in the community was devastated," said restaurant manager Bev Delaney.
An investigation has yet to determine a cause of the fire. Delaney said she doesn't think it was arson, but rather some sort of electrical malfunction.
Whatever the reason, people in the area are noticing the absence.
"People are saying to me, 'I'm having withdrawal symptoms from Hogans,'" she said. "That's how much the people loved their Hogans."
The restaurant has existed next to the famous beach, Northern Bay Sands, since the 1960s. New owners took over three years ago and invested heavily.
They were prepared for a busy holiday season, equipped with plenty of food and 100 dozen beer.
Everything was lost.
"We have other stores [in the area]. But they didn't carry everything that we did. We sold everything," Delaney said.
Delaney said Hogans will be back as soon as possible — ideally for the busy May 24 weekend.
While the building will be different, the food will remain the same.
"Our Hogans strips and chips and fish and chips; we got that recipe for over 50 years. It's never changed and it never will change."