Future of Neighbor’s restaurant still uncertain

Feb. 04--MANKATO -- The future of the fire-damaged Neighbor's Italian Bistro is still unknown as crews continue to strip things from inside the building.

"They're just cleaning everything out and checking the structure. There's a lot of structural damage," said Patrick Person, who along with brother Chris and others owns Neighbor's and several other restaurants.

Firefighters were called to the restaurant at 1812 South Riverfront Drive early on the morning of Jan. 14 when someone saw flames coming from the windows. No one was injured.

Fire officials said they have not been able to definitively identify a cause for the fire. Person said the insurance company investigator and firefighters have told him the fire started in either an ice machine or a cooler.

The seating area of the restaurant had heavy smoke damage but it was the kitchen area, the taller end of the building, that was most severely damaged.

"Everything from the kitchen over will almost certainly have to come down," Person said. But he said final decisions won't be made until the insurance company is able to bring in its engineers for a closer inspection.

He said they are taking everything inside the building down to the studs.

Person said they can't make any decisions until the insurance company completes its work and estimates.

"It's been pretty emotional for the family. We're just trying to weigh our options and make sure the building doesn't get in worse shape," Person said. "It's going to take a long time. It can't go back together the way it was."

He said a lot of customers and friends want to know if the longtime establishment will reopen. "Everyone wants to know but we just don't know."

His mother's restaurant, Adrian's, started in what is now the kitchen part of the Neighbor's building in 1975. In the 1980s some older adjoining buildings were torn down and an addition was added, creating the footprint of the current space.

The Person brothers worked in the restaurant as kids. In 1988 they remodeled the old Stone Toad on Madison Avenue and opened Tav on the Ave. In 2001 Adrian's closed and the brothers opened Neighbor's Italian Bistro.

They also own No. 4 in Mankato, Dino's in North Mankato and they recently opened 3rd Street Tavern in St. Peter. They also run Absolute Catering.

Follow Tim Krohn on Twitter @TimKrohn

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