It’s a hard luck story that may have finally come to an end.
After decades of serving dinners and drinks under at least half a dozen different restaurant names, the building that now houses Crabby Joe’s may have been damaged beyond repair.
The building at 1705 Main St. W. at Osler Drive was heavily damaged by a fire Thursday night. Fire Captain Ben Jaeckle said at least half of the roof had collapsed and there were still some hot spots in the building Friday morning.
“The back half of the roof where the kitchen is has completely collapsed,” said Jaeckle, who added it was too soon to determine the cause of the fire, which started just after 2 a.m.
Nearby residents heard what sounded like an explosion and the building was fully engulfed in flames.
Heavy fire was found at the back of the building when firefighters arrived. Firefighters were inside the building at first but were pulled out when the roof became unsafe. No one was injured.
Although the heat was intense, firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to the Baskin Robbins ice cream store just a few steps away.
Damage to the building is estimated at $500,000. The fire marshal’s office was also on the scene to help determine a cause of the fire.
Ray Pollard, of Dundurn Property Management, said it’s too soon to think about the future of the site. Dundurn owns the property and the adjacent Main West Village Mall. The building is leased to Obsidian Group Inc. of Mississauga, the owner of the Crabby Joe’s franchises.
Crabby Joe’s has set up shop twice at the location. It was a Ponderosa until the 1980s and then Gliders, Tony Baloney, Dimaggio’s and Players, plus more, with none of them seemingly able to make a long-term success at the location.
Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4187547-fire-destroys-crabby-joe-s-on-main-street-west/