Pyramid Cafe Owner Mohammed ‘Ziggy’ Rzig spent time at the Los Alamos Daily Post last week discussing the fire that damaged the kitchen of his eatery Jan. 12 at 157 Central Park Square and his plans to re-open this summer. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
Pyramid Cafe Owner Mohammed “Ziggy” Rzig hopes to re-open his restaurant at 157 Central Park Square, following a Jan. 12 fire that broke out in the kitchen, which is shared with his Los Alamos Cantina restaurant.
“The fire started at about 5 or 6 in the morning,” Rzig said. “There was damage to equipment, a wall and the suspended ceiling but the good thing is a lot of the structure is solid and untouched by the fire.”
Rzig explained that now that he has gotten the green light from his insurance company the next step is mitigation … replacing the damaged equipment in the kitchen and cleaning that area along with the dining area.
“Our goal is to re-open by summer but there are a lot of moving parts,” he said, adding that he will need to look for new staff because many of his former employees have found other jobs. Robots are used in the Pyramid Cafe not to take jobs from people but to fill lack of staff.
To help him out during the next few months when the cafe remains closed, Rzig encourages the community to purchase gift cards. He is also offering catering for groups of 20 or more people. He explained that the food will be prepared at his Pyramid Café location at 505 Cordova Road in Santa Fe and delivered to the customer in Los Alamos.
To access the Pyramid Café menu, click here. Gift cards are available here.
Rzig commended the Los Alamos firefighters for their quick response and for containing the fire to a relatively small area of his restaurant. He also thanked his insurance agent Bernadette Naranjo of Farmer’s Insurance for her assistance, saying she has been great to work with throughout the ordeal. He praised the community for its support, saying many reached out to the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce to see how they could help.
“I’m very positive about all of this and it’s mainly because of the community!” Rzig said.
In a message to the community, Rzig said, “We want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for your unwavering support during this time. As we prepare to reopen our restaurant, we kindly ask for your continued patience and understanding. The journey has not been easy, but we are excited to welcome you back. We also want to give a special thanks to the management at Central Park Square. Their support has been invaluable, and we truly appreciate their assistance during this challenging period. We look forward to serving you again soon, and we are grateful for the kindness and loyalty you’ve shown us. Thank you for being part of our community!”
Scene outside the Pyramid Cafe at 157 Central Park Square following a fire on the morning of Jan. 12 in the kitchen shared with his Los Alamos Cantina restaurant. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com