SALT LAKE CITY — More than 200 people are without work after a devastating fire in downtown Salt Lake City Monday night destroyed five iconic businesses. One local restaurant and brewery is trying to do what they can to help.
When Kelly Lovell, general manager at ‘2 Row Brewing’ in Midvale found out about the fire, she was heartbroken.
"As somebody who’s been in this industry my whole life, I could only imagine waking up or having been at that restaurant while that was happening,” said Lovell. “And the panic that sets in, not only of getting everyone out of the building safely, but like, oh my god, I don’t have a job tomorrow.”
She wanted to do something to help people make ends meet, so she posted on social media that if employees need someplace to work, their doors are open.
"It wasn’t even something that I had to think much about,” said Lovell. “It was just something like, we're coming into our busy season and I have openings, I have availability for people, we just kind of happen to be at that point right now, and I want people to know that we are happy to take them in in this unfortunate circumstance if they need it."
She said a big part of the food and beverage business is the people. "You can have the best food in the world, the best beer in the world, but if your staff's not friendly, if your staff's not good, then it really doesn’t matter,” said Lovell.
She and her team are trying to do their part for those who need it most. "In this industry, we depend on customers, we depend on tips, and that’s how we pay our bills,” said Lovell.
She hopes others can also step up and do what they can. "I think it is really important that the community sticks together and supports each other through hard times like this,” said Lovell.
The Downtown Alliance has also set up the Main Street Fire Employee Assistance Fund, where people can donate money, and 100% of the donations go to employees to help cover costs.
