More than two months after an electrical fire caused extensive damage to its basement, Primavista restaurant, in East Price Hill, will reopen on Friday, Aug. 14.
The June 10 fire caused smoke to spread throughout Queens Tower, a 16-story high-rise, and about 150 residents were evacuated, according to Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley
. No injuries were reported. Primavista occupies the building's first floor.At first, John Lenkerd, who co-owns the Italian restaurant with his parents Frank and Joan Lenkerd, along with chef Chris Prince, told The Enquirer they would likely reopen in days following the fire. Eventually, days turned into weeks and weeks into months.
The reason, according to Joan Lenkerd, is that they thought they could rely on a generator
to keep things up and running. After the generator failed to keep the restaurant's refrigeration and air conditioning working, they realized they would have to wait until the entire restaurant was rewired. "They wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, but then the city had approve it," Joan said. Final approval came on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Joan Lenkerd told The Enquirer that Primavista's entire staff was paid throughout the closure. "We had really good insurance, so they got paid and they're all coming back," she said.
The Lenkerd family opened Primavista in 1989 and the restaurant's kitchen has been headed by the same chef − Chris Prince − for more than a quarter century. Prince now co-owns the restaurant with the Lenkerds.
Joan told The Enquirer that customers won't be seeing any big changes when the restaurant reopens, since most of the damage occurred in the basement and the dining room was relatively untouched.
"We're just thrilled to get back open and work with the staff again," she said.
Primavista, 810 Matson Place, East Price Hill, 513-251-6467, www.pvista.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: After 2-month closure due to fire, Primavista sets reopening date
