Mitzel’s ‘total loss’ in morning fire

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, May 31, 2006

POULSBO — Mitzel’s general manager Marsha Rayburn was at a near loss for words Tuesday morning as she surveyed the smoldering debris that just hours earlier was one of the city’s most popular restaurants.

“I’m totally at a loss at this time as I look at this building,” Rayburn said as she huddled with Mitzel’s corporate representatives outside the structure’s remains.

For 17 years, Mitzel’s had been a major part of her life as she ascended to the restaurant’s general manager’s position, she said.

“I was pregnant with my daughter here and I met my husband here,” she said. “I love Mitzel’s, and it’s a part of my family.”

In addition to the thousands of regular customers who often ate as many as three meals a day there, Rayburn said the restaurant was also a home for many community groups including the Poulsbo Kiwanis club.

“This is a big part of the community and I think the community is going to rally around our crew at this time,” she said, adding that the restaurant employed about 35 people.

While no official plans have been made concerning the restaurant’s future, Rayburn said she is optimistic that it will be rebuilt.

Mitzel’s vice president of operations Jack Emmons was also at the scene as firefighters prepared the site for investigators to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

“It’s a great restaurant and a great community, and we’ve been here for 20 years,” Emmons said.

The restaurant was consistently in the top two for volume and sales among all the region’s Mitzel’s locations, he said.

“We obviously love the location and we love the community and we’d love to stay,” he said.

However, it will be at least a week before any official decision is made concerning the restaurant’s future, he said.

“We need to assess our options and I can’t give any answers right now,” he said. “It’s going to take us a week or so.”

As firefighters continued their work, Emmons said simply, “It’s a great loss.”

Tim Ryan, who built Poulsbo Village and still owns the Mitzel’s building, said the restaurant has become a local icon.

“When people are coming to Poulsbo and are looking for Poulsbo Village, they know to turn at the Mitzel’s sign,” Ryan said, as he and Poulsbo Village property manager Bev Lyon prepared to meet with Mitzel’s officials.

“It’s a part of us, so it’s definitely a loss,” Lyon added.

The fire was reported at around 2 a.m. Tuesday and Poulsbo Police Department officers were the first on the scene with fire crews from the Poulsbo Fire Department responding in less than five minutes, said Tom O’Donahue, PFD deputy chief of operations.

“The first report was of fire in the kitchen area and when we made initial entry parts of the attic began falling in,” O’Donahue said.

When that happened, firefighters took a defensive stance and worked to extinguish the blaze from the outside of the building, he said.

“We risk a lot to save a lot, but we won’t risk a lot to save a little,” he said. “It’s a total loss.”

The fire department’s No. 1 priority is the safety of its firefighters and the public, which is why the department took the action it did, he said.

The building was empty at the time, and there were no injuries reported.

Once parts of the building are removed, fire investigators will begin examining the site to determine the exact cause of the fire, O’Donahue said.

The June 3 edition of the Herald will provide a look at the restaurant’s history in Poulsbo as well as complete local reaction to the fire.