Downtown cafe reopens 8 months after Easton fire

Eight months after a February fire in downtown Easton forced several businesses to close, State Cafe and Grill reopened its doors on Oct. 29. Owner Bill Sneeringer said the water used to extinguish the fire flooded the building’s basement, destroying much of State Cafe’s inventory and equipment. “We had six feet of water that basically destroyed everything,” Sneeringer said, noting the water damaged electrical service, a walk-in cooler, food stock, water heaters, alarm and camera systems and Wi-Fi equipment. He said the restaurant experienced difficulties working around contractors’ schedules after the fire due to the last-minute nature of their requests. Employees received financial support for the first three months before filing for unemployment benefits, according to Sneeringer. Of State Cafe’s roughly 15 employees at the time of the fire, four of five left to find other jobs during the closure.

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