MANCHESTER, Ohio — More than a month after a fire destroyed Moyer Winery and Restaurant in Manchester, its owner said he has plans to rebuild the popular restaurant.
Ken Smith said there are plans to rebuild the business, although there is a lot of work to be done before that can happen.
“That’s the plan right now,” Smith said, “obviously things have to work out. Financially it’s going to cost a whole lot more to put it back than what was there originally. We have to be up to all new, current state codes and all that.”
The restaurant was originally opened in 1972 by Ken and Mary Moyer. In 2018, it was sold to Ken and Kimberly Smith. The couple renovated the property and reopened it that year.
Moyer Winery and Restaurant was engulfed in flames on the morning of June 13. Manchester Fire Department Chief Rick Bowman said that day he believed the fire started around the kitchen.
“When we came around the corner, it was through the whole roof of the kitchen. Other than that, we really don’t know what may have caused it,” he said.
Dozens of firefighters and equipment from throughout the area, from Ohio and Kentucky responded to the call to battle the blaze, officials said.
According to Bowman, it was not until daylight that the fire was under control.
“It took us most of the night,” he said. “It wasn’t until about daylight that we were able to get it out and it’s not completely out. There are still hot spots around the building.”
A sign from the restaurant, a few small objects and even some wine was saved and recovered by crews working the incident. The vineyard is also still standing.
Currently, Smith said demolition is first on the list of things to do, which he said will start next week. With what is left of the business soon to be removed, the possibilities for rebuilding are virtually endless.
“We have lots of options,” he said. “We can be a wedding venue, we can go back to the full restaurant. Obviously the winery is coming back, but what we do beyond that will be determined at some point in time.”
As for the vineyard and harvesting the grapes, Smith said it is not yet determined what will be done with the crop.
“We’re uncertain as to what we’ll do to this year’s harvest,” Smith said. “We may or may not (harvest), it’s really going to depend on how the harvest turns out, for one, and we have not maintained things this year as we normally would have, mostly because my vintner has been out on medical leave.”
Ever since the restaurant was destroyed, Smith said the support given by the community has been nonstop, which to him means that the business held a special place in the heart of the community.
“It’s an icon,” he said. “The community is very upset that Moyer is gone for now, so everybody very much wants it to be rebuilt, including us.“
