GoFundMe Launched To Help 29 Diner Owner With History Of Helping Others In Need

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — John Wood, owner of the 29 Diner, appeared surprisingly optimistic the morning after fire gutted the kitchen of his Fairfax City restaurant.

"My community has always come first with me, being the owner here at 29," he said. "It's always been the community first, with my business second."

With the prospect of his business being closed for an extended period of time, Wood had reason to despair.

"Now I'm at a loss," he said. "I don't have the resources. I don't have the business. I don't have the Virginia historic landmark."

A fixture on Fairfax Boulevard since it opened on July 20, 1947, the 29 Diner has had many owners. In recent years, Wood has used it as a base of operations for various charitable activities.

Related: 29 Diner Fire: No Injuries In Blaze After Business Hours

In 2020, Wood was recognized as a Patch Local Hero for delivering meals to first responders and health care workers during the pandemic. He also operated a food pantry to feed families in need.

Now that the tables have turned, members of community have stepped up to offer their support for Wood and his business. He's already heard from firefighters, the teachers union, members of the city council and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, as well as Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, all of whom expressed their support and offered help.

"It's the community rallying together in support of somebody who has always put them first, now they're they're putting me first," he said.

Related: 29 Diner Owner Feeds Community During Pandemic: Fairfax City Hero

Richard Berkowitz, a football and wrestling coach at Marshall High School, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help rebuild the 29 Diner kitchen. As of 12 p.m. on Wednesday, more than $9,000 had been raised toward the campaign's $20,000 goal.

"They wanted to support me," Wood said. "They came out here when the fire was being fought and they said, 'We're here to help.'"

Last year, the same group organized a GoFundMe that raised $20,000 to help the 29 Diner survive the pandemic. The new campaign aims to help Wood keep all of his employees on the payroll.

"I don't want to lay anybody off before Thanksgiving or anybody off before Christmas," he said. "My employees have been so loyal to me as we fought the last year and a half, two years to get through COVID together. I'm not abandoning anybody."

The fire, which broke out around 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, originated in a storage closet adjacent to the kitchen, according to Wood. The restaurant was closed, with the last two employees leaving at 3:30 p.m. Someone spotted smoke coming out of the back of the restaurant and called 9-1-1.

"The fire department arrived and the kitchen was engulfed in flames," Wood said. "The heat and soot and smoke were coming out of almost every pore. They got the fire under control. The fire didn't spread into the roof or spread into a wall. That was pretty much contained in the storage closet."

Wood wasn't sure about the estimated cost of the fire damage. He was still waiting to hear back from his insurance company.

Fairfax City Fire Marshal Steven Sites told Patch the investigation into the cause of the fire was still underway. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, a determination of what caused the fire and a monetary estimate of damage wouldn't be released until next week.