OLCOTT — The wall at Brownie’s Custard Stand is boarded up, and the restaurant remains closed for the immediate future after a fire damaged the kitchen wall.
Eileen Neisen, co-owner of the food and ice cream business, said her staff texted her at about 7 p.m. on Monday to say customers reported smoke.
“Customers saw smoke coming out of the building, but it wasn’t smoky inside,” Neisen said. “The heat from the grill probably heated the wall and the fire started in the exterior wall. So it was smoldering in there all day.”
Neisen had been working at the Wilson business location when it happened.
“It was so busy at both places,” she said. “Memorial Day is typically the busiest day of the year. I got here (Olcott) around the same time the fire department did. They had to break open the side of the building and put a hole through it to put the fire inside the wall out.”
The Town of Newfane owns the Lakeview Village Shoppes, where Neisen said she leases the space for Brownie’s. She didn’t know how long the building would be closed for estimates and repairs, but said she hoped to reopen soon.
“I’m hoping that it’s only going to be a week, but we have to wait for the repairs to be done and the health department to inspect,” Neisen said. “We asked if we could just do ice cream, and the town said if we had a clearance from the health department, we could.”
Neisen said she has contacted the health department to find out about re-inspection.
Meanwhile, Neisen said business is good at Brownie’s in Wilson, and she encourages customers to stop by that location.