Fire closes restaurant
early on Black Friday
John Burton A fire, cause unknown, damaged the walls and ceiling of the Murphy Style Grill, Broad Street, Red Bank, in the early morning hours of Nov. 25. Owners say the bar area of the restaurant may reopen in three weeks.
Murphy Style Grill managed to take advantage of Thanksgiving Day, but a fire on Nov. 24 closed the restaurant for the rest of the busy shopping weekend and put 42 employees out of work temporarily.
Mario Medici, owner of the restaurant, said, "We’re working very hard to get the place open as soon as we can so we can get employees back to work, especially during the holidays. Realistically, the bar may be open in three weeks with limited food."
According to Medici, business was booming on Thanksgiving. "We served 135 customers," he said. "The last seating was at 6 p.m. and the kitchen was closed by 7:30 p.m."
The fire was reported by a police patrolman who saw smoke coming from the roof at 2:31 a.m. Forty-five firefighters from all six borough fire companies answered the call. They found heavy smoke on the second floor and fire on the roof level in the rear of the building.
The fire was under control by 3:30 a.m. and completely extinguished by 4:30 a.m. The fire marshal was unavailable for comment as to the cause of the fire.
Fortunately no one was injured, and the sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading out of control. However, according to the Red Bank Fire Department, the restaurant sustained damage to the walls and ceiling area.
"Everyone worked hard to get this fire under control quickly," said Fire Chief James Welsh. "The volunteers should be commended for coming out on a holiday night, in below-freezing temperatures."
"The fire department and the police did a great job," Medici said. "They were very efficient and careful not to cause additional damage. I was very impressed."
Murphy’s has been a staple on Broad Street for 10 years. According to Medici, the restaurant was voted the No. 1 steakhouse in Monmouth and Ocean County by the Asbury Park Press last month.
"We’ve been here long enough to see all the marvelous changes in Red Bank," Medici said. "Last Friday, during the Christmas tree lighting, the town was crowded with people, and we were closed. It was killing me," he said.