The Common Stratford asks for community support

The Common restaurant is seeking community help after a fire resulted in an additional $150,000 in costs to upgrade the ventilation system.

The well-loved restaurant the Common, located at 80 Wellington St., is asking for community support following a fire that caused significant smoke damage throughout the space.

Owners Cassandre Frost and Tim Otsuki were on vacation when they received a midnight call in March from their neighbour, Jamie Crosby, owner of Lovage, who reported seeing smoke billowing from outside the restaurant.

By the time fire and police arrived, the fire had extinguished itself. But the extensive smoke damage was just the beginning of a string of unexpected challenges the restaurant would face.

While insurance is covering most of the damage, Frost and Otsuki say the incident revealed costly code compliance issues that weren’t previously known.

The kitchen exhaust system, for example, was found to be non-compliant with current standards and now requires a $150,000 upgrade, including a new permanent and accessible ladder for safe cleaning.

Frost added that beyond the damage and mounting repair costs, they’ve also experienced the loss of some unique and sentimental items – including a crystal chandelier that recently went missing and hasn’t been recovered.

“There’s a story behind all these pieces here in the restaurant,” she said. “A lot of antiquing up and down the Huron coast went into finding and sourcing pieces specific for the space.

“It’s been a bit of a heartbreaking rollercoaster. Not only have we had this setback from the smoke and fire, but we’ve also lost a few sentimental items just from having so many people in and out of the restaurant over the last few months.”

Now, the pair is turning to the community they say has always been supportive, asking for a little help while they work to reopen.

“We thought we’d be back open in a month. But here we are, four months later, and we’re still dealing with unexpected issues,” said Frost.

“We definitely need the support, but we don’t want people to just give us money – we want to give something back,” added Otsuki. “We’re calling them sponsorships. You can essentially buy gift cards to support us, and once we’re fully up and running, you can come back in and use them.”

Frost said she’s long envisioned hosting patio parties, formal dinners and themed events like a Holly Golightly party. While the fire has brought challenges, it’s also sparked the motivation to launch these long-dreamed-of gatherings to help with fundraising.

“We’re trying to see the silver lining. What this has done is light a fire under us to host the events we’ve always talked about,” she said. “We’re planning dinner parties and cocktail events to help raise funds.”

The couple is still moving forward with reopening plans, including a revised menu and service style recently approved by the City of Stratford.

They’ll be hosting patio parties, selling gift cards for future use, and encouraging guests to book reservations for upcoming August events, which will be shared on their social media channels.