SALT LAKE CITY — After a fire swept across the top floor of the building, staff at a beloved Salt Lake City bar and grill spent their Sunday cleaning up what they could.
The famous sign at the top of The Garage on Beck now says “Temporarily closed. Fire. C U soon” and “Hottest bar in town.”
“It’s heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking,” said The Real Doug Lane, a country musician who has performed at the music venue.
On Saturday, a kitchen fire broke out and spread to the top office floor. Now, the smell of the iconic burgers is replaced by the lingering aroma of stale smoke.
“Sick to my stomach,” said restaurant designer Steven Rivera on Saturday. “All the memories, all the events, but the saddest part is people are out of work.”
For 16 years, The Garage has welcomed a wide array of customers, bikers, and performers.
Performer John Whipple said The Garage On Beck has always been a safe space.
“This is the one-of-a-kind roadhouse, Texas roadhouse here in Utah,” he said. “It does that thing that is not replaceable.”
“This was one of the hidden treasures in Salt Lake City,” said Lane. “I hope they get it back together.”
The Salt Lake City Fire Department still has no official cause of the fire.
Restaurant staff said the biggest burden of this temporary closure is losing work just before the holidays.
“Sometimes tragedy can bring awareness to a place, to a venue, and I hope when they build back it builds back stronger,” said Lane.
Rivera said it’s too soon to know when the bar will re-open. Their primary focus right now is cleaning before rebuilding.
A sign outside the building tells customers to check in with the restaurant’s social media pages for updates.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for a "relief fund" for the staff. It can be found HERE.
