Customers Fire Back After Blaze and Evacuation at Downtown Boulder’s Salt

Customers expressed public irritation following a kitchen hood fire last Friday, June 30 at Boulder’s Salt the Bistro, as some were given checks before being evacuated, reported the Boulder Daily Camera.

The evacuation was merely a precaution, as the blaze was small, resulting from grease that had collected in the hood, according to Boulder Chief Fire Marshal Dave Lowrey.

Bradford Heap, chef-owner at Salt explained he tried to contact patrons present during the disturbing event who had made reservations and provided contact information up-front to present gift cards as an apology. However, some diners, including Ernesto Acevedo-Munoz – who wrote a letter to the Daily Camera, were displeased with the service that accompanied the interruption.

Acevedo-Munoz said the server left a bill and asked them to pay for their meal immediately. Though he obliged, he was surprised and annoyed to have been charged $118, given the circumstances. "That upset me more, and why I suggested that the management was putting profit over safety," he told the Daily Camera. "If there was a danger, we should have been told to quietly and quickly walk out of the building and forget everything else."

Another patron called the manager and was told that a previous fire resulted in financial loss for the restaurant in a “rude” tone. In response, Heap said he intended to enforce a collective sentiment among his staff that the customer is always right.

As of July 6, Acevedo-Munoz had not yet received a call from the restaurant regarding his refund, and does not intend to dine at Salt again.

Heap is still trying to track down walk-in customers from the night of the 30th.