Health inspector orders One29 on Front Street closed after fire-suppressant falls

Pieces of fire-suppressant material began falling from the building’s beams near customers at One29 on Front Street, prompting a health inspector to order the popular eatery to shut its doors after arriving at about 8am, Take Five managing director Holger Eiselt said. “A health inspector came at about 8am and ordered us to shut down until we fixed the issue,” Eiselt said.

One29 is operated by Take Five and opened in August. Eiselt said the falling material was a new problem for the business. “This was not a problem when we first opened [in August] and we don’t know what is causing it,” he said, stressing that management is treating the closure as a safety measure while the cause is investigated.

Gerry Adams, One29’s executive chef, believes one possible contributing factor is outside air being let in by automatic doors, though that view has not been confirmed as a cause. Take Five has not identified the type of fire-suppressant material or whether it was part of the restaurant’s own equipment or building infrastructure.

Take Five chief operating officer Kentis Kishtoo said management met with officials and building staff to map a response. “We met with the health department, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service and the building managers this morning to see how we could resolve this issue, all the breads that we made this morning will be given to charities such as The Salvation Army and Home, and customers can get our breads at Devil’s Isle on Burnaby Street until we reopen,” Kishtoo said.

At least two other businesses occupy the ground floor of the building that houses One29; company representatives and building managers attended the meeting with the health department and the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service. Officials have not provided a detailed remediation timeline, and the type and extent of any structural damage to beams or ceilings were not specified.

Take Five said there were no reports of injuries connected to the falling material and that it is prioritizing a swift repair. Eiselt issued an apology to patrons and a pledge to resolve the issue. “We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience, thank them for their support and assure them that we will do everything we can to fix this problem,” he said.

Management hopes to have One29 back up and running early next week while breads produced during the closure are redirected to The Salvation Army and Home and made available at Devil’s Isle on Burnaby Street for customers in the meantime.