A popular restaurant and drinks destination in Vancouver is doing what it can to stay afloat in the wake of a devastating fire, including launching an online fundraiser.
On Tuesday morning (June 27), firefighters were dispatched to the scene of a fire tearing through the basement of a century-old building in the 200 block of East 6th in Mount Pleasant.
The building is home to the Michelin-recommended Bar Susu, which is also the sister restaurant to the Michelin-star winning Published and cafe/wine bar Novella. Previously, the space was The Whip restaurant for over 25 years.
The damage caused by the blaze has forced Bar Susu to temporarily close and a GoFundMe has now been set up to help the restaurant hang onto its staff while they work to rebuild.
"We are eternally grateful for the immediate attention by Vancouver firefighters and glad no one was hurt," says the team in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday. "After assessing the damage, it is clear repairs will take longer than a month to fix."
Bar Susu has over 30 staff members, the majority of which have been with the restaurant and natural wine bar since it opened and some go as far back as The Whip days. The statement describes the staff "as like a family to us," and explains how the money would be used to help keep them around until the restaurant reopens later this summer.
"As we are unaware of the timeline that we’re facing, we are hoping to raise some funds to support them while we work through the restorations," it says.
100 per cent of the proceeds from the GoFundMe will benefit the workers and the team expresses their gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received.
Bar Susu opened in 2022 and recently, the bar/restaurant was named one of Canada's 50 best bars of 2023.
With files from Elana Shepert
