Mike Anderson’s eyes rebuild but loses holiday business

There are plans for Mike Anderson’s Seafood to be rebuilt following a fire early Tuesday morning—suspected to be arson—that has shuttered the popular restaurant on West Lee Drive. But a complete rebuild will likely take months, says business manager Lynn Juban, meaning the restaurant will be closed during one of the busiest times of the year, while dozens of holiday parties and other private events will have to be rescheduled elsewhere. “The banquet room is gone. That’s where all the major damage is,” Juban says. Around the holidays, he says, there are typically three large private events held in the banquet room every day. At the moment, there’s no way to estimate revenue losses, but Juban says it’s going to be “pretty dramatic.” The dining room was also damaged in the blaze, while the kitchen was unharmed and the side porch sustained only minimal damage, Juban says. “Our goal is to reopen the dining room as rapidly as we can. The banquet room is obviously going to take a lot longer,” Juban says. “We may target to open the dining room by Christmas, but there’s so many unknowns at this moment.” As the rebuild begins, the restaurant will continue to do some off-site catering—beginning later this week—and all employees will continue to be paid, Juban says. Investigators say they suspect an arsonist is responsible for the blaze, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing.—Steve Sanoski