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Spared from the flames, restaurants struggle after the Eaton Fire

Restaurants hope to survive the aftermath of the Eaton Fire
Restaurants hope to survive the aftermath of the Eaton Fire 03:36

After being spared from the Eaton Fire, restaurants in Altadena and Pasadena are hoping their businesses will survive the ghostly aftermath. 

One of those owners is Claude Beltran, who's been crafting memorable meals at Bacchus Kitchen for a decade. After the Eaton Fire, foot traffic has slowed down.

"First week was pretty empty, we couldn't open for three days because of water contamination," Beltran said. "That was a big impact and we got that straightened out but still people weren't really coming."

While upsetting, Beltran said he understands the slow reopening since many people lost their homes, including a close friend. 

"We have a pretty elite jazz program here and one of our dear friends, John Clayton, he's a Grammy-award winning bassist, lost his house, lost his bass," co-owner Brandon Firla said. 

Many of the restaurants that survived the fire are worried about how long it will take for business to pick up when so much needs to be rebuilt. 

"It's going to take a long time for a neighborhood restaurant when half your neighborhood is gone," Firla said. 

Firla and Beltran aren't the only ones feeling anxious about the future. 

"That thought is a source of real anxiety," general manager Sean Kim said. "This is going to be a lengthy process getting folks back on their feet."

Woon Kitchen opened its second location in Pasadena a week before the Eaton Fire. Within days, it had to close for a week. Now, it's rallying around one of its prep cooks, who lost her home.

"You know, we're just trying to be here to offer a place of respite while folks are dealing with some of the toughest times in their lives," Kim said.

As storefronts near the burn area reopen and customers start trickling in, many wonder if people know which businesses survived. 

"We're here for people to sit and have a glass of wine and talk and enjoy and have a little refuge from the craziness," Beltran said.

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