HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A popular brewery in Mainville along the Loveland Bike Trail is lending a helping hand to employees of the Monkey Bar and Grille after a large fire caused heavy damage to the Tri-State staple.
All Monkey Bar and Grille employees can enjoy a free meal and a cold beer at Cartridge Brewing every day through the end of May, the business said on Facebook.
"Our hearts go out to our partners on the trail, and we want to do our part to help," a spokesperson for the brewery said. "We’re thankful no one was hurt in the fire, but we know it still cuts deep."
Cartridge Brewing said all employees need to do to secure their daily free meal is to provide their most recent paycheck stub.
This isn't the only business offering support after Wednesday's fire.
The Wicked Pickle, another business along the Loveland Bike Trail, is also offering Monkey Bar and Grille employees a free meal through the month of May, Stephanie Meinberg from Cartridge brewing said.
"I've heard from Montgomery Inn, I've heard from Firehouse Grill I believe it is in Blue Ash, Cartridge, Saunders, Mac's Pizza, just local, it's amazing. So, really blessed," said Monkey Bar and Grille owner Mark Altemeier.
He said Silver Spring House brought lunch for all of his staff Thursday and others have been reaching out as well.
"We just know that everyone's very caring, we already knew that, but this just proves that," said co-owner, Amy Altemeier.
The Monkey Bar and Grille is closed indefinitely because of the fire, which first responders said started in the kitchen.
"All of the fire damage was contained to the kitchen area. The kitchen is a complete loss and then there is water and smoke damage throughout the rest of the building," said Hamilton Township Fire Chief Jason Jewett.
Fire crews said it took around 30 minutes to get the fire under control.
The fire chief noted the fire caused about $200,000 dollars worth of damage.
"I’ve broke down. It’s tough. I’ll look at the community they’re around and I’m not going to give up, so we’re just going to keep on, keeping on and get it opened back up again," Mark Altemeier said. “There’s no damage to the main wiring in the building except for the kitchen, so once that’s isolated and we can get it cleaned up, I’m hoping, I’m hoping within the next two weeks we can get our patio opened back up again," he said.
The Altemeiers said this isn't their first rodeo. While recovering from a fire is new, rethinking how to operate their business isn't.
"It kind of reminds me of when we had COVID and we had to restart and rethink everything again," Amy Altemeier said.
The Monkey Bar & Grille is a very popular spot in the region, especially during the spring and summer. The family-owned business sits along the Little Miami River near the Loveland Bike Trail.
As they work to reopen, they're also working to prepare for the busy summer season and they said they're still hiring and training employees this week.
Jewett said crews are still working to determine the cause of the fire but he's confident that it was accidental.
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