Five San Marco businesses are closed after a fire started in Beach Diner on Saturday evening.
Seafood Diner and Grille, the Write Touch, The Wardroom Ltd. and San Marco Bookstore were affected by the Beach Diner fire at 1965 San Marco Blvd.
Beach Diner posted on its Facebook page that it sustained fire and smoke damage and would be closed for “the next month or so.” It said it would work to relocate its employees to its four other Beach Diner locations in Mandarin, Atlantic Beach, Ponte Vedra and Fernandina Beach.
The fire appeared to reach the front of the store. The windows, posters in the windows and items along the front windowsill, such as utensil sets and condiments, were covered in ash. The front door’s glass was shattered and boarded up.
“This restaurant is our home, our livelihood and we have a deep connection to the awesome San Marco community around us,” the Facebook post said.
Jacksonville Daily Record news partner News4Jax.com reported that the Seafood Island Bar and Grille owner said a faulty toaster started the fire, but the state fire marshal is investigating an official cause. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to the fire at 8:17 p.m. Saturday.
Since the station is down the street, JFRD arrived less than 3 minutes after receiving the call, said JFRD spokesman Tom Francis.
Barry Adeeb owns Beach Diner, along with its four other locations. The San Marco restaurant opened in 2013.
Seafood Island Bar and Grille posted signs on its door that it would be closed for 48 hours and reopen on Wednesday.
The Write Touch and The Wardroom Ltd. posted signs that they would be closed until further notice.
San Marco Bookstore, three stores down from Beach Diner posted on its Facebook page that it sustained smoke damage, and would “reopen as soon as possible.”
The five business owners couldn’t be reached for comment.
Joe Carlucci, president of the San Marco Merchants Association, said the businesses closed, which are small, family-owned operations, will be affected by the loss of revenue. With Beach Diner likely closed for the longest time, the four surrounding businesses won’t be seeing foot traffic from Beach Diner customers.
“Beach Diner was kind of the anchor for that side of the square,” Carlucci said.
Those in the community have started pulling together to help out, he said.
Some proposed a fundraiser. Southside Baptist Church is offering storage space and Maple Street Biscuit Co. said it was willing to place Beach Diner employees in temporary positions at its locations.
The San Marco Merchants Association is planning its support for the affected businesses and will have a more formal plan in the coming days.
“There’s plenty of support from the community, it’s just trying to figure out what these needs are,” Carlucci said. “That’s been really cool to see.”
