After a kitchen fire and smoke damage forced the closure of German restaurant Checkers Old-Munchen, owner Mathew Moore said he's ready to reopen the Atlantic Boulevard restaurant in about six weeks. Just in time, he said he hopes, to catch the end of Oktoberfest.
Besides getting back to its old digs, Checkers will continue to do the $10 German dinners at Diner By-The-Sea, a short order breakfast and lunch joined owned by Moore's brother Bill Sand. Despite the unexpected eviction, Checker's wurst, spaetzle and potato pancake platter made our 100 favorite dishes list at No. 48 back in April, a mere month after the fire broke out.
Moore said he's put nearly $250,000 into redoing everything from the kitchen equipment to the flooring over the last six months.
"It's going to look the same, but everything will be new," he said. "We're known for being the Checkers Old Munchen on Atlantic, we've been there for 30 years."
"I had insurance money and I put money into it out of my own pocket," he added.
Doing dinners out of his brother's diner at nights was, at first, only a plan to keep customers happy and in touch. In fact, it's created a following among people at nearby Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, enough so to keep going.
Still, it hasn't been easy.
"We've only got four burners here," Moore says. "At my other place, we had eight." His 60 seat dining area was also cut in half.
Beer snobs need not fret, however, the old selection will be back once the Atlantic Boulevard location reopens, and will complemented by more than 100 beer steins that Moore was able to save from the fire.
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