Owners and staff at Kilmarnock's bar and diner Oceans 11 say they are "devastated" after the blaze at a nearby property which left part of their premises badly damaged.
The popular eaterie sits above Burgur Grill, where emergency services were called last Friday, May 26 around 2am. No one was injured in the blaze on the ground floor but police say "extensive damage" has been caused.
Ramon and Michelle Tognini have owned Oceans 11 for the last 31 years and were only ever closed down during the Covid pandemic.
Ramon said: "We are absolutely gutted, it is so devastating especially because it is no fault of our own.
"I believe it will take at least four days of deep professional cleaning but we can't go ahead with this until we have spoken with the insurance company."
Michelle added: "The damage have also been done when the fireman had to break in but we are getting there and are now having several meetings to make sure that everything is back open as soon as possible.
"We have loyal customers and staff who have been working with us for years and we can't thank them enough for their support. "
Fraser Cheyne has been working as a chef at Oceans for 27 years, along with his childhood best friend Ross Blackwood who has worked at the venue for 31 years.
Fraser said: "Me and Ross have played together as children and now we have been working together for decades. The owner and his wife and our manager are our family. It is a great place to work at and the news devastated all of us as we worked so hard to recover after pandemic.
"Our boss Ramon is a fantastically loyal man and very caring, always there for any of us, whether we've needed money, advice or at times a shoulder to cry on for us as we've gone through many ups and downs. During Covid he and his wife Michelle phoned us regularly to make sure we were ok for food and money and our general wellbeing. They were so loyal and kept us informed, paid us and kept our jobs.
"They are doing so again, they call us and text us every day and make sure we're all ok.
"I know that they are so worried just now as we've never had an incident like this and had to deal with insurance loss adjusters and massive clean ups. The smoke damage was extensive and had some of us in tears. We will be back though, I'm certain of that."
Ross said: "It always amazed me how well we were treated during Covid and over the years. We can't thank Ramon and Michelle enough. The news absolutely devastated everyone but I know that we will be open soon. I can't wait to be back cooking with my best pal Fraser."
Police are still appealing for information following the deliberate fire at Burgur Grill that also damaged other properties such as Oceans 11.
A Police Spokesperson said: "Enquiries are ongoing and we are still appealing for information."
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