"To understand why the East Bay's first Original Joe's has been so embraced by its community, a restaurant where the weeknight waiting area is as packed as an urgent care and its bouncers - a rarity at typical red-sauce joints - earn tips they've never seen in their lives, you need to go back to the beginning."
"The Duggans, the family behind the classic San Francisco restaurant of 89 years, invested eight years and millions of dollars to debut the 300-seat destination last year in Walnut Creek. The upscale suburb is a red-hot market where new business licenses are up 21% year over year. On opening day, Aug. 14, Mayor Cindy Darling cut the ribbon around 10:45 a.m. Media swarmed the entrance, hoping to get a glimpse of the priest blessing every room with holy water."
"Then, four days later, a mysterious late-night fire erupted in the kitchen. It took fire crews hours to even determine the source. (It was inside a wall.) The restaurant reported only smoke damage and planned to return to business "within a week," they told KGO-TV, but ultimately remained closed for six weeks to repair the wall and kitchen flooring. That required coordination with multiple trades, John and co-owner Elena Duggan told SFGATE via email. "And then, of course, there's the insurance process, which always takes time," the siblings said."
Original Joe's opened a 300-seat location in Walnut Creek after eight years and millions of dollars of investment by the Duggan family. The suburb experienced strong market growth and enthusiastic turnout on opening day, with civic leaders, media, and ceremonial blessings present. A late-night kitchen fire four days after opening caused smoke damage and forced a six-week closure for wall and flooring repairs and insurance coordination. The restaurant reopened and immediately drew consistently heavy crowds, with weeknight lines, large portions, multigenerational diners, and staffed security handling the high demand.
Read at SFGATE
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