TOLEDO, Ohio — The owners of Sebastiano's Italiano Restaurant held their breath on June 22 after the unit next door in the south Toledo strip mall their business sits in, caught fire.
There was a call about smoke and fire at the Lucas County Title Office on Heatherdowns Boulevard at about 11:15 a.m, according to Toledo Fire & Rescue. While the title office is closed for the foreseeable future, Sebastiano's reopened after just five weeks.
It was no surprise when Sebastiano's regulars Gary and Carol McElfresh were the first ones inside when it reopened. They weren't in the dining room alone for long.
"I said I want five o'clock. I want to be the first one in the door, and we were," Gary said.
Sebastiano's owners Jon and Sarah Sagaser said they are happy to start seeing their regular customers again.
"We are a very small place. Our kitchen is tiny. We are kitchen-led," Sarah said. "We love to seat as many as we can, but we know what our limit is to give the kind of service and quality that we like to give."
She admitted they were a little worried about the smoke smell still clinging to the air on re-opening day. But customers aren't fazed at all and reservations filled up.
"You do have to make a reservation though," Gary said. "It kind of makes you feel special. 'Hey! Table for two at six o'clock,' you know?"
The regulars were holding their breath, too, when the fire broke out in June.
"I didn't know how much the damage was here. I wasn't able to contact them. But we were worried," Gary said. "I'm so happy they're back open."
While the hours have been updated a bit, the kitchen is back to cooking for its customers.
"It's going to get crazy for our family," Sarah said. "But we're happy to be here and we're happy to see everybody again."