“…a cigarette discarded in a flower pot on the deck sparked the fire that, coupled with the water used to extinguish it, caused more than $1 million in damage and closed the restaurant for more than six months…”
Even though the fire was mostly confined to the deck and part of the bar, the damage turned out to be much more severe than originally thought. It was February before the contractor could start reconstruction by gutting the remaining structure.
But Casper’s Cherokee of Eagan, the familiar barn-shaped restaurant and bar on Nicols Road, is on its way back. The restaurant opens Monday, completely refurnished and with some tweaks to the menu. Among them: A Blazin’ Barn Burger — proof that owner Rick Casper has a sense of humor — and Eagan’s Firehouse No. 5 Burger — named in honor of the department that responded to the blaze Oct. 9.
As the staff prepared for reopening last week, there were still lots of details to pin down. Chairs had not yet been delivered. A cement patio soon will be added where the deck once stood.
There was a flurry of staff training, initiating 50 new crew members and refreshing the roughly 20 people who waited for Casper’s to reopen, even though there wasn’t money to pay them past December.
For more:Â http://www.startribune.com/local/south/149897095.html
