ATHENS, Ala (WHNT) — For many in Athens, Ramona J’s off of Highway 31 is a popular place for a quick bite to eat, but the go-to spot will be closed for a little while. That’s because a fire broke out at the restaurant on Sunday.
“My cleaning person called me roughly about 3:30 pm and said, ‘Hey, there’s smoke coming from the top of the ventilation, and at that time, I told her to call 911 because nobody’s there,” Orlandous Johnson said.
Johnson is one of the owners and operators.
He said the restaurant is closed on Sundays, yet a fire managed to spark on the flat top grill in the kitchen.
“I was like, are you serious?” he said. “I was out on the food truck, so then I stopped what I was doing to come to the restaurant. Right about the time I was arriving here, so was the Fire rescue squad.”
Athens Fire and Rescue responded quickly, managing to put out the fire before it spread too far.
“Insurance will be in contact within the next couple of days,” said Johnson. “We’ll figure out from that point exactly what the extent of the damages is going to be. As of right now, I know I got to have a flat top replaced, and I got to have a good cleaning done because of the smoke damage.”
Johnson said they are extremely grateful for everyone in the community who has reached out.
“Numerous phone calls, emails, text messages from businesses, from the city council, from the chamber, from the mayor just trying to make sure that we are okay and we’re taken care of,” he said.
While they work to get back on their feet, they are also announcing a new item on the menu.
“I was like ‘Hey, you know what? I’m putting together a fire and rescue burger that is going to come out in honor of these guys for what they’ve done for saving Ramona J’s.’”
On the Athens fire burger, Johnson said you can expect creamy ranch, jalapeno bacon, mac n cheese, lettuce, tomato, and some onion straws.
It will be a flavorful combination in honor of those whose hard work kept the business standing.
Johnson said they do not have an official date for when the business will reopen. In the meantime, they will be operating out of their food truck around Athens.
They are also still waiting to learn the cause of the fire.
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