A fire set by possibly anarchist vandals in trash cans outside of Oakland's Hawker Fare has led to the indefinite closure of the restaurant. As the Inside Scoop reports, owner James Syhabout (who is also chef-owner of Commis and the upcoming Box and Bells) is going to try to reopen as soon as possible, however the building's electrical meters were all damaged in the blaze, and it's unclear how long it will take to repair them.
Syhabout does not know for certain if the trash can fires were part of the ongoing, anarchist-driven unrest in Oakland in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, but security camera footage shows three people with their faces covered, setting the fires and running away early Saturday. Hawker Fare is near the Uptown area of Oakland, but is a couple of blocks away from Broadway and West Grand.
This is the second Oakland restaurant to be affected, among other area businesses, by the protests and general hooliganism that has followed the Zimmerman verdict. Last week a server at nearby Flora was struck in the head with a hammer during one of the initial nights of protest and vandalism, which also left a number of businesses with broken windows.
Update: They're aiming for a Thursday, July 25 reopening.
