Shortly after, Grand Prairie restaurant owners received the same news with orders to close up shop and stand by for further instructions. The city’s dining scene has been rendered a ghost town. Few spots have so much as an employee onsite to answer the phone.
Zavala’s Barbecue is one of the many restaurants affected by the closures. The Mexican-inspired barbecue spot located at 421 W. Main St. at Brisket Lane (yes, really) would normally be gearing up for a bustling weekend, but owner Joe Zavala’s hands are currently tied.The City of Grand Prairie has detected a foaming agent in the water supply north of I20. If you live in the area outlined in this map, please avoid using water other than for flushing until further notice. Locations are approximate. Follow https://t.co/QoL03WDigc for the latest. pic.twitter.com/WBobsaabji
— City of Grand Prairie, TX (@gp_tx) September 4, 2024
“I've gotten a total of about six pre-recorded messages from the city, just saying that all food establishments and food manufacturing needs to be closed,” says Zavala. “We've also had some city employees come by the restaurant to check in on us.”
Jason Smith is the owner of Fire House Gastro Park, a quadruple-threat restaurant, bar, coffee shop and music venue. Smith received the notification sent to all Grand Prairie residents. Since he lives close to his restaurant, he saw the closures coming before the second notification even arrived.
“We don’t love it, but it’s impossible to run a restaurant without clean water,” Smith says. “We need it for washing hands, washing dishes, the coffee bar…” He trails off, but his point has been made.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that the agent was actually fire foam and had been used to put out a large fire in the area before running off into the water supply. The city has set up stations for residents to shower and fill water bottles, but restaurants are still in the dark as to when it will be safe for them to reopen.
“This sucks,” says Zavala. “You don't ever want to be shut down as a restaurant.”
Despite the inconvenience, Zavala understands the predicament the city is in and emphasizes that everyone he’s spoken to on the matter has been as helpful as they can be.
“I called up to the city and they answered and responded very quickly,” he says. “They’re just doing what they have to do to make sure everybody's safe.”
Grand Prairie restaurants have already lost two days of business due to the water supply situation. Zavala counts himself lucky that his place is closed on Wednesdays anyway, but he is eager to get back to work by the weekend.
“Once we get the green light, I can start making briskets as late as I need to, and so we can try to be open tomorrow,” he says. “That's the goal, but the city still hasn't come out with any specific timeline.”
Firehouse, on the other hand, did lose the full two days. The closure is daunting, especially in the midst of what Smith considers to be a hard year for the restaurant industry. But he’s still counting his blessings.
“This year in general has been slower for everybody,” Smith says. “But we can’t cry about it because there are babies who won’t get their formula and older people who won’t get a bath today. That’s not what we’re dealing with, thankfully.”
More information and updates on the water supply contamination can be found on the city of Grand Prairie website.
