A downtown restaurant in Holt caught fire late Wednesday night, leading to a roof collapse and the destruction of large portions of the building.
Gravity Smokehouse & BBQ wasn’t always a brick-and-mortar eatery on Cedar Street.
Instead, owners Bruce Kring and James Stine served the briskets and pulled pork out of a food truck for a year before moving into a building in 2019.
At around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday, the Delhi Township Fire Department received a call that the smokehouse was on fire.
Fire Chief Brian Ball said the first responders found “heavy smoke conditions on the interior and heavy smoke from the roof of the back portion of the restaurant.”
No one was injured.
While the fire primarily damaged the back of the restaurant where the kitchen was located, Ball said they have not determined where the fire originated yet.
Electrical issues and a rooftop air handler unit are being investigated as potential sources of the fire, but nothing has been ruled out.
“We don’t believe it’s suspicious,” Ball said. “Hopefully, they can work with their insurance company and try to make a go of it again. We really like having them in the township.”
Holt community members took to social media to echo that sentiment, with many sharing their own experiences at the restaurant.
“I’ve never had a bad experience there,” Lins Lewis told WKAR News. “I’ve had date night with my husband [there] and have always had a good time. We love the food and the atmosphere.”
“My heart goes out to Bruce [Kring] and the crew at Gravity. They have made very good memories of a place to meet, bring your family, friends and really enjoy great smokehouse barbecue,” Dustin Morrell, the owner of Goat on the Grand River, told WKAR News. “I’m hopeful that they will rebuild, and I sure hope that the total loss is just a small setback for the crew.”
Ball said that the owners are devastated by the loss.
“They're shaken,” Ball said. “They’re heartbroken. Their lifeblood is this restaurant. So, there are some obvious emotions there that they're working through. They're a good business, and we hope to have them reopen.”
WKAR News has reached out to the Gravity Smokehouse & BBQ owner for comment.