Char Steak & Lounge temporarily suspending dinner service after kitchen fire

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Firefighters say flames heavily damaged a portion of the kitchen in a two-alarm fire over at the Strathallan Hotel in Rochester Friday night.

Crews went to the scene on East Avenue around 10 p.m. and reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the kitchen and an appliance on fire.

Firefighters say backup was called due to the size of the building, and the fact that guests were staying at the hotel. Crews say it took nearly 45 minutes to get the appliance removed from the kitchen and completely under control.

Nobody was hurt, and guests were allowed to go back to their rooms. While the kitchen was damaged, a second kitchen is functional.

Saturday afternoon, the Char Steak & Lounge announced it is temporarily pausing dinner service effective immediately. It did not provide an estimated date that dinner service will return, but said "We have some minor repairs to make to get going fully and will see you again very soon."

The Char lounge will still be open for cocktails seven days a week and a light menu will be available at Hattie’s on the ninth floor.

The statement also said, "The Rochester Fire and Police were amazing in their response and handled everything quickly. Our kitchen team identified the problem and along with our Security team made sure everyone was evacuated and safe."

The hotel’s overnight accommodations will not be impacted by the fire.

"We are so proud of our team, our city first responders," the statement concludes.