RICHMOND, Va. — A Shockoe Bottom restaurant owner says he’s still in disbelief after watching his business be destroyed in real-time last week during a massive fire. Lance Nelson, owner of The Daily Menu, was out of town when he got the call Wednesday that flames were engulfing the building that houses his restaurant. Unable to return immediately, he turned to his security cameras and watched as smoke poured in and the ceiling collapsed under the weight of water being pumped in by firefighters battling the blaze in the apartments above.
“It’s much like looking at your child in the ocean, and you can't get out there to save them,” Nelson said. “All the work I put in here, gone in one day.”
The Richmond Fire Department is still working to determine what sparked the fire, which left multiple businesses severely damaged. Officials have since deemed the building unsafe to enter, forcing tenants, including The Daily Menu to close indefinitely.
Nelson, who had just celebrated the restaurant’s five-year anniversary, said engineers are assessing whether the structure can be salvaged or if it will need to be torn down.
“I built this,” he said. “So I can build it again.”
The fire not only gutted Nelson’s restaurant but also put his entire team of 17 employees out of work.
“It’s a waiting game now,” Nelson said. “Waiting for some type of answers so I can move forward… That’s how I fed my family. That’s how I paid my workers.”
Though he’s only allowed short visits inside the building, at his own risk, he says the damage is hard to process.
“The ceiling fell in a couple places,” he said. “They're still dripping in there two, three days later.”
Despite the devastation, Nelson remains determined to rebuild.
“It took me four years to even look like I had a business,” he said. “But this ain’t over.”
He’s asking for community support as he explores ways to recover and reopen.
“If nobody was hurt, that’s my whole thing,” he said. “It could’ve been a whole lot worse.”
Supporters can contribute to The Daily Menu’s rebuilding efforts here.
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