It was a hectic and uncertain weekend for four popular eateries in St. Matthews after a roof collapse last week forced the city to close the restaurants and other businesses in the strip mall building, pending evaluation and potential repairs.
At this time little else is known about the situation, although Louisville Business First has the most up-to-date coverage.
The city was forced to shut down the businesses, which are located in the Gallerias St. Matthews on Oechsli Avenue, after owners noticed a sag in the roof Friday. The strip mall contains Havana Rumba, Del Frisco’s, Half-Peach Bakery Cafe, Charim and several other businesses.
St. Matthews fire officials and building inspectors were called to the scene and determined the roof was failing but had not yet found the cause. No word yet on what the restaurants and businesses inside the center plan to do next.
We already knew that Havana Rumba was planning to leave this space soon. It’s owner, Marcos Lorenzo, told Food & Dining last month, that he was planning to move a modified version of the concept, called “Mojito in Havana,” to the former Waylon’s Feed & Firewater at 3939 Shelbyville Road.
Food & Dining indeed broke the Havana Rumba-to-Mojito in Havana story, and what Lorenzo told us now seems prophetic: “We’ve been looking for a long time for a better location in the St. Matthews area,” he said in a phone interview. “Waylon’s is way bigger and way better.”
While De Frisco’s has yet to comment, three of the restaurants affected by collapsed roof have taken to social media to keep their customers informed. Charim Korean Restaurant and the aforementioned Havana Rumba both apologized for the inconvenience, with the latter encouraging guests to visit its other Louisville locations.
Half-Peach Bakery & Cafe wrote, “We’re assessing the situation to see what we can do, but our immediate priority is to still take care of our staff. In the meantime, we’re delivering our cookies to V-Grits & Safai Coffee Shop, and our cakes and some deli items like Cashew Cheese to The LIFEbar.”
This is an ongoing story, and we’ll provide updates as they occur.
