Arad Evans Inn reopens after fire

FAYETTEVILLE – A year after a fire ripped through sections of the Arad Evans Inn in the thick of social distancing and capacity restrictions, the enduring Fayetteville dining spot has managed to return as good as new.
On Sept. 12, 2020, the flames from the inadvertent fire originated with a worker’s use of a hot torch during the replacement of the flat roof over the bar area.
It spread to the crawl space above the kitchen, an office and the large second-floor private dining room, though no one was hurt and local crews were able to put it out before it fully engulfed the Federalist-style former farmhouse.
However, because the sprinkler system was deployed, and since firefighters had to face challenging maneuvers through the restaurant to extinguish the blaze, the building had extensive water damage, including four feet of standing water in the basement.
As a result, the entire kitchen structure had to be demolished and the private dining room often used for business dinners was completely gutted. Also, upon inspection, asbestos was unexpectedly found in the imported sheet rock mud implemented in the phase of construction that wrapped up a quarter century prior.
With regulated coordination ensuing among the asbestos abatement company, the carpenter and the newly hired roofing contractor, operation of the Arad Evans as a functioning fine dining restaurant was halted through the rest of 2020 and for much of 2021, but it rebounded from the initial misfortune with an improved, more contemporary structure.
“The fire was a setback, but it made us stronger,” said Jason Thomas, the owner of the Arad Evans Inn. “We’ve retouched pretty much every square inch of the restaurant from the attic to the basement and everywhere in between. It’s in incredible shape.”
Once the repainted and re-wallpapered restaurant officially but quietly reopened on this most recent Sept. 23 with its chairs, tables and plates brought back from storage, Thomas said the sense of stress washed away.
“As soon as we opened the door and the first customer walked through, it was like the clouds cleared,” he said.
Despite its name, the Arad Evans Inn has not offered overnight accommodations since its early days.
Around the time it opened in 1995, an improperly installed pipe froze and burst on a “bitter cold” night in February, leaving the entire building flooded, but back then, it closed for not even half a week.
Though the establishment was able to keep a certain number of employees on the payroll through the ordeal of the last year, the staffing shortage has led to a limitation on the amount of reservations taken and the amount of seating allotted.
“We’re as busy as we want to be,” said Thomas, who also owns Papa Gallo Mexican Restaurant in Fayetteville. “I didn’t want to just open the doors and fill the restaurant and not be able to give people the food quality and service they expect.”
The restaurant located at 7206 E. Genesee St. is currently looking to hire line cooks, dishwashers and other kitchen staff as well as bussers, hostesses and wait staff in the front of the house.
Walk-ins for the bistro are nevertheless welcome, and just as before, the Arad Evans Inn maintains a wine program and still serves staples such as escargot, a renowned house salad and its chocolate tower dessert.