A fire that broke out Thursday morning in the kitchen of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen in College Park forced the restaurant and its two neighbors to close.
Sterling Jones, the interim fire chief of the College Park Fire Department, confirmed that the fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. at 3721 Main St. Jones said firefighters were able to contain the fire within 15 minutes, but continued to work to find hot spots in other parts of the restaurant. The street was shut down between Harvard and Princeton avenues while firefighters cleared the area.
Jones said the cause of the fire likely won’t be confirmed for at least a day. In addition to Virgil’s, neighboring restaurants the Real Milk and Honey and Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles were also forced to close due to concerns over smoke damage and hot spots in those storefronts.
Gregory “Gee” Smalls, who co-owns Virgil’s, said the restaurant wasn’t yet open when the fire broke out.
He said the smoke and water damage is extensive and estimates the restaurant could be closed for months if the kitchen needs to be rebuilt. He’s hoping to find positions for the restaurant’s 30 employees at other Virgil’s locations in west Midtown and Conyers, but said he likely won’t be able to accommodate all of them.
“We had just finished remodeling the restaurant,” said Smalls. “This is obviously a major inconvenience, but I’m sure we’ll bounce back. We’re just so glad that no one was hurt.”
A representative for the Real Milk and Honey said there were about 20 customers in the restaurant when the fire broke out, who were all evacuated quickly at the rear of the building. She said she thinks that the restaurant will be able to reopen by the end of the weekend.
A representative for Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles was not immediately available for comment, and it’s unclear how long it will be closed.
This is a developing story. Please return to to AJC.com for updates.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information regarding the temporary closure of the Real Milk and Honey.
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