Taco Bill franchise director Tom Kartel, restaurant co-owners Michael Coffey and Pradeep Madhavaram and franchise director Stanley Teschke were on hand to celebrate the re-opening of Beaconsfield’s Taco Bill restaurant. 33229
BEACONSFIELD’S Taco Bill restaurant re-opened to a full house last week after a fire forced it to close its doors for nine months.
The fire, which co-owner Michael Coffey said was caused by machine-dried rags combusting, was noticed by police on a routine patrol last October.
CFA crews said the fire caused $100,000 damage, destroying the kitchen, coolrooms and dishwashing areas and causing smoke damage to the reception and dining areas.
Mr Coffey initially told the Gazette he hoped to re-open in four to six weeks, but a series of delays saw weeks become months.
“It was a lot more work than expected. Things like the ceiling, which was blackened by the smoke, had to be replaced, we had to re-wire the whole place and we needed to source the light fittings from Mexico,” he said.
“One month turned to two, then three, and then nine.”
Mr Coffey said the franchise retained its entire staff on full pay during the re-fitting.
“We made the decision to keep everyone on that day – that’s the reason we can cope with a night like tonight,” he said.
Mr Coffey said he was planning to host a grand re-opening party when the weather improved.
