WALNUT GROVE, Calif. — An iconic family restaurant in Walnut Grove was burned to the ground on Thursday.
Mark Van Loben, assistant fire chief with Walnut Grove Fire District, said Giusti's Place burned down on Thursday, adding that the cause for the fire was still under investigation.
The restaurant has been around for over 100 years, evening getting recognition for their craft on Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Giusti's touts themselves as the oldest bar and restaurant in the California Delta.
Mark Morais, owner of the iconic restaurant, said everybody was safe after the fire. He's not sure as to what happened, but he believes there might have been a problem with the propane water heater.
“By the time the department got here, it was pretty well halfway gone. It was just an old building with old wood, burns hotter than hell. And they did the best they could,” he said.
He said the building has been his blood, sweat and tears and was a gathering spot for locals in the area.
“It takes about a hundred and something years to get a nice family restaurant going, and it takes about three hours to ruin it,” Morais said.
Despite the loss, Morais is telling customers that they'll find a way to pull through this.
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