Espo's looks to 'move forward' after Tuesday fire; restaurant closed until further notice
Three years ago, Nick Zamora renovated and reopened Espo’s, a Raritan Italian restaurant that’s been a landmark for nearly half a century.
Now, he’s looking back to that time for inspiration as he readies to renovate and repair again for very different reasons. A Tuesday afternoon fire that started near the grill damaged a wall and some areas of the ceiling. The restaurant is closed until further notice.
“I thank God for that first renovation because we know what we have to do and we’re ready to go,” Zamora said. “To own this has been a dream of mine ever since I walked into that building in 2019. I’m just excited to get back to that point. I’m not afraid – I’m just in go-mode and ready to get back to what we were doing.”
The Raritan Fire Department was contacted by Espo’s staff around 3:20 p.m. Firefighters from Raritan, Somerville, Bradley Gardens, Country Hills, Finderne and Manville all helped to extinguish the fire within about 20 to 25 minutes.
Raritan is revamping its downtown:'If Somerville can do it, we can do it'
No customers were present at the time of the fire, as staff was readying to open the restaurant for dinner service at 4:30 p.m.
“We are just focusing on the fact that the fire and the timing could have been a lot worse, everyone is OK, and we will be up-and-running again,” Zamora said.
He added they will be open again “soon,” and it will “not take several months.”
Looking back:Espo's in Raritan reopens under new owners
As the report is not yet available, Zamora does not know what started the fire, nor the extent of the damage and cost of repair.
Espo’s will still have a booth at the third annual Discovering Raritan Town Festival on Saturday, July 30, from 3 to 9 p.m. on West Somerset Street.
“Just to say hi and let the community know we will be back up-and-running soon,” Zamora said.
“We couldn’t be more grateful for what the firefighters, police department and first responders did for us,” he continued. “We wouldn’t be here without them, and the love and support of our loyal customers and Raritan. How we are going to move forward is with their love and support.”
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA Today Network New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Contact: JIntersimone@Gannett.com or @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Espo's closed until further notice after Tuesday fire
