Owners of iconic Cheeseburger In Paradise, with deep ties to Southern California, vow to rebuild in Lahaina
“It was like a bomb wiped it off the face of the Earth.”
Laren Gartner and Edna Bayliff were in a fog of limited information Thursday after their iconic restaurant Cheeseburger in Paradise burned to its foundation in the historic village of Lahaina.
Two days earlier, the business partners with deep roots in Orange County opted to close their waterfront restaurant in western Maui when the power went out and stayed out.
SEE MORE: Photos: Before and after satellite images show devastation of Maui wildlife
With winds from Hurricane Dora whipping to a frenzy, they told employees to clean up and go home.
“No one had a clue this particular event was coming,” Gartner said from her home in Lake Tahoe.
A devastating wildfire soon swept through the quaint town, burning most of it to the ground. Cheeseburger In Paradise, which sits over the water on Front Street, and another restaurant owned by the pair, Waikiki Brewing Co., now are mostly gone.
SEE MORE: At least 53 killed on Maui as fires burn through Hawaii, thousands race to escape
The death toll on Thursday rose to 53 people, and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he expects that number to grow. Aerial video and pictures show entire blocks of buildings reduced to ash. President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii, clearing the way for federal aid to help the state recover from several wildfires.
Gartner, Bayliff and their management team were working to re-establish communication with its employees on the island. As of Thursday, there was no cell service and no electricity.
“There’s nothing there,” Gartner said. Many employees lost their homes in the fire. Some were sleeping in their cars.
- See the interactive map: Where wildfires are burning in Maui
Gartner and Bayliff opened Cheeseburger In Paradise in 1989 in Maui’s western town of Lahaina, which dates to the 1700s and features a sprawling banyan tree planted in 1873.
The 34-year-old restaurant was a favorite stop by many Southern Californians visiting the island.
Orange resident Shelley Galasso and her family’s party of 14 arrived on Maui last Friday, and ironically, were stuck on the plane when a brush fire broke out by the tarmac. Hungry after the delay, their first stop was Cheeseburger In Paradise.
The family, she said, travels to Maui every three or four years and typically makes a stop at the restaurant where waves lap at the building from below.
By Tuesday, much of the area was without power.
“The winds were insane,” Galasso said Thursday from the island of Kauai where they evacuated from Maui. “I’ve never experienced wind that strong.”
The family was in a news and social media void for two days without internet and power. Instead, they listened to sirens and helicopters dropping water on the town just a few miles south of the Hyatt Regency.
They also watched as hotel employees attempted to feed all the guests and employee family members who had lost their homes to the fire. By Wednesday, the hotel ran out of food.
The family made its way to the north end of the island. Feeling a bit scattered after the scramble to evacuate, Galasso said the devastation at Lahaina “hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Stateside, thousands of Lahaina and Cheeseburger In Paradise fans left comments, pictures and memories on myriad social media posts.
The shock and anguish was clear.
Photos: Maui wildfire reduces most of historic town to ash
“So sad to see our favorite vacation spot destroyed by the terrible fires that raged over the last couple of days in Maui,” wrote Joe Trabert of Corona in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Lahaina has been completely destroyed, a town that has much history and such good memories for our family. We loved eating at Captain Jack’s and Cheeseburger in Paradise every time we have been there. Countless hours strolling Front Street and creating and reliving memories. May the families that are affected know that there are people praying for you.”
“I don’t think there are any words right now. Thank you for all the memories over the years. Our family loved your restaurant. Just devastating,” wrote Nick Stagnaro.
In a post on Facebook, the management team and owners proclaimed they would be back “before you know it.”
But Gartner admitted it wouldn’t be soon or fast. Rebuilding on an island — in a historic district with limited resources — was going to be tough, she said.
“They cannot move fast enough,” she said.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the restaurants’ employees. The fund, wrote organizer Leah Gartner, Laren Gartner’s daughter, is “solely dedicated to covering the salaries and medical insurance for one year for our staff members who have lost their homes and their incomes as a result of the devastating fires in Lahaina.”