Repairs Underway at Cliff's Rendezvous

After a fire shut down the popular Cliff's Rendezvous in downtown Riverhead in late June, work is underway to make repairs and reopen as soon as possible.

But in the meantime, manager Robert Cormier said he and owner Cliff Saunders have opted to focus on the bright side. 

"The place looks good. There wasn't a lot of damage," he said. "We're looking at the positive. We could be sitting home crying in our beer or we could be doing something. We're doing something."

Bacon started the grease fire that shuttered the steakhouse last month, Cormier said. 

Right now, Cormier said, repairs are ongoing. "We're cleaning everything up."

Work includes sprucing up the restaurant and tackling projects that normally couldn't get done, with the eatery so busy. "The only consolation I have is that we have time to do these things now," he said. "When you’re open seven days a week, 12 to 13 hours a day, it's hard to get a lot of things done."

The fire, Cormier said, shut down operations during the start of the busy summer season. "It couldn't have come at a worse time," he said.

Still, damage was minimal compared to the devastation at the Athens Grill down the street, which was destroyed by fire only days after the blaze at Cliff's Rendezvous.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard," Cormier said.

Riverhead Town, Cormier said, has been "great," voting to waive permit fees for both businesses as they rebuild.

The town, he added, has also helped to expedite the permit process, something that can often take months.

"Once it starts coming together, it will go fast," Cormier said. "We'll be reopen and everything will be back to normal and fine."

The reopening, he added, will come soon. "We're moving along as best we can," he said.