The Giornale and Sopranos catering establishments on Stationsplein in Eindhoven will have to close their doors for months after the fire that broke out there on Sunday night. “It’s a mess, everything is full of smoke and covered in ash,” the owner of both businesses said on Monday morning.
The fire broke out on Sunday night around half past two in the morning in the shared kitchen of Giornale and Sopranos. These things are connected at the back.
The guests had just left and the staff was having drinks when the owner – who was not present in the business on Sunday night – suddenly received a call from the emergency center. “It’s a nightmare. We’ve always had this fear, that we would be called out of bed and everything would be on fire. We have been out of action for months now, everything is destroyed.”
The morning after the fire, the owner is still in disbelief. Giornale was her first business and she took over Sopranos in 2012. “This feels like our home.” She does not know how the fire could have started. “It started in the communal dishwashing kitchen. The fire then spread to Giornale, which suffered the most damage. The dishwashing kitchen is gone. Everything here is made of wood, these are old, semi-detached buildings.”
Tokyo by night is located between her two businesses. This business also suffered significant damage, although there was no fire there. This only concerns smoke and soot damage. There is still a penetrating smell of smoke at the spot where the fire raged on Monday morning.
The owner of Sopranos and Giornale would prefer to move on immediately after the fire, but that is not possible. “We are unlucky that all kinds of companies will be closed next week due to the holidays.”
The timing of the fire is also a tragedy for her customers. “We are full every evening. Now, just before Christmas, we suddenly have to cancel 1,500 guests. They had booked for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 250 guests per evening per restaurant. I feel so bad for those people, because they now probably have nowhere else to go during Christmas, because all businesses are full.”
At Giornale you can see from the outside that the door and logo are blackened. With Sopranos you see less damage on the outside, but appearances can be deceiving. “We actually have to rebuild the business from scratch,” says the owner. Tokyo by night cannot open for the time being either.