Woodshed Restaurant fire 11-28-13
 

Just heard a call on the scanner for a structure fire at the Woodshed restaurant. First responder on scene reported heavy fire throughout.

A second alarm is being activated at this time.

I hope that they are closed and no staff there or customers there.

According to FB, open noon to 6 PM
 

I would think that perhaps most if not all the staff and customers are gone.

Report at 1030 PM
 

Heavy fire throughout, and the companies on scene are trying to establish a water supply system to the scene.

One tanker truck on scene and another enroute

So sad.

Not good
 

Top story on wmur. Looks pretty serious. Large flames

Under control at 11:47 according to the online scanner.

Too bad about the fire.

R2B

Well its gone
 

Just got back from the scene, Very sad

Lot of memories My sister worked there in the mid-70s I worked there in the 80's my dauther at 21 has worked there the last 7 years and served tonight everybody was out by 8pm lot of people out of a job.

Does anyone anyone know the status of the structure?

Here's a few articles I found at 6:30 am:

Union Leader
WMUR
Boston dot com

What a shame. Something like that can never be recreated.

according to union leader it burned to the ground

Ends the argument
 

Well I guess that ends the argument of whether the Woodshed was back or not.

Shame to see that building go since it was an iconic building.

I do wonder if the fire was suspicious or not? Guess it is too soon to know?

Our Stomachs Ache
 

We have celebrated many events with family and friends from several states at this wonderful place. It will be missed!!!

I saw this on the news this morning... So sad! And hard to believe. My thoughts are with all the employees, who are now out of work so close to the holidays. Hoping that Scott O will be able to relocate many of them to some of his other restaurants? Aparently the fire is under investigation, which I would assume is status quo for a business that is insured. Just tragic...

Sad Day
 

Very sad to lose this Lakes Region institution. My daughter worked there last night... last busser ever at the 'shed.

My thoughts go out to all of those fine people who made their living there, especially this time of year.

Omg VitaBene... that's a little too close to home! SO glad she wasn't there at the time of the fire. So gald no one was there at the time of the fire. It is, indeed, a sad day. Unbelievable photo. :(

Vita
 

Glad she is ok and that the fire was AFTER her shift. Sorry about the restaurant, what an iconic establishment. So sad.

Buildings and material possessions can be replaced in time. Hopefully from the ashes a new establishment will rise.
If the owner reads the threads online here then they will know there is a loyal local following and people who care.

How sad.....any chance the owner will rebuild? Traditions have to start anew at times.

Sad
 

That really is sad especially during the holiday season.

Wishing the owners well in whatever they decide to do...

Dan

What a shame!
 

It was one of the "better" restaurants in the Lakes Region area. Never mind the neat historic barn...

Unfathomable Loss
 

What a true tragedy it is to lose The Woodshed. It has always been a special place to do dinner for us. We would celebrate important milestones with a trip to the shed and bring a group of friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the owners and we will be returning customers if they decide to rebuild. Another tragic fire for the lakes region. We have many happy memories of past visits.

The Breeze
Wave 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

Is Scott O (Canoe) Really the owner...?? NB

Don't know what to say
 

I've been going to the shed for 20 years, birthdays, anniversary's went for Christmas eve last year was going to be our new Christmas eve tradition. I remember the first time I took my kids there and what a big deal it was for them to get all dressed up think they were like 5 and 8. I remember how nice Lynn was with them and brought down the cat to show them and they would go see the cat every time they went after that. Even thought the service and food changed over the years the place always had a special feel about it that I will never forget......Hope they rebuild something there so we can start some new traditions..............RIP old friend :(:(:(

wow, it was a shock to see this. I have gone to the Woodshed for decades. Very sad. I hope they can rebuild.

NoBozo, yes Scott O. and several (three?) partners bought the Woodshed when it was sold this summer.

I'm so sad!
 

Been going there since 1980.Whenever we were in the area. Lots of fun memories! Skip and go nakeds, best prime rib, flower pot bread! It will be missed. Good luck to all the employees.

Terrible news!! This was such a special place for my wife and I.....we went there while honeymooning on the lake in Sep '76 and have gone there at least annually every year since then. We even met (and got autographs) Henry Fonda there while he was filming "On Golden Pond". What a great loss!

Scott was on the news last night and again this morning saying that the 40 employees working there he will try locate them to work at his other restaurants. I hope he rebuilds it.

Here is an option...I thought the owners of Canoe also owned the former North End restaurant on Rt 25. If so, move the Woodshed sign to this location, do a quick change to the interior with better tables, etc., and re-open with the same Woodshed menu and people on weekends at least. That way they preserve the name and values. People would come to support the owners and they can concentrate on rebuilding the Woodshed with a barn style structure. It is amazing what they can do these days to make a new structure look old. Agreeably, it will not be exactly the same, but close would be better than nothing. Bet with some planning, they could be ready to re-open in a new barn type structure in late spring, just in time for the summer folks.

Interesting idea...but I think the old North End building is where they launch their catering operation (aka Magic Foods). I bet they have tons of equipment, etc, in that facility that they are likely gearing up to use for the upcoming holiday party season. I'm glad to hear that most (hopefully all!) of the employees of the Woodshed will find other work within the company. Hopefully the place was insured well and they can rebuild it with some of it's former character. To me, the rustic barn/old farmhouse atmosphere was such an important part of the Woodshed. Maybe the best way we can support Scott O and his partners is to frequent his other establishments - Canoe, O's Steakhouse in Laconia, and Magic Foods for our catering needs. I have seen, time and time again, that this is a community where people really come together in times of crisis and take good care of each other. I hope that will be true in this case, as well.

What a GREAT idea - I hope Scott reads this and considers the possibility!!! :)

Tummyman your plan lacks one key ingredient: money. Plus, reopening in a nondescript location on rte 25 wouldn't be the same regardless of the quality of the food. It is a good thought but I don't think it would work especially since the owners will have their hands full trying to get the old restaurant re-built.

I think the ability of the Woodshed to recover and reopen comes down to one thing, insurance. Hopefully, the owners have business interruption insurance. Given this was a recent buyout they likely have a decent debt load on the business so insurance will be key. Keep your fingers crossed.

returning lost golf balls for a free drink. . .

Second, don't you think the old location was pretty nondescript? Maybe a highway would be better for them in the long run. You had to know the Woodshed was there.

I would think there would be month(s) wasted with permitting and town (and state-liquor) boards, not to mention renovation of the NE after permits are approved.

I don't know for sure, miracles do happen :)

Seems the NE is already permitted. And no change to footprint ought to be a simple item for the town. Even the state liquor board could be a non event, as they would be just going for a change in location. Everyone is in mourning now but true character is in how folks rise up from adversity and conquer the moment. We can have a one day wake, but then begin to get back to the business at hand....rebuilding the Woodshed ASAP !!! Think of all the good people impacted by tornadoes and how they begin the rebuilding process immediately. Defeat is not an option and we, as a community, should rise up and get this business back into our town. We need positive thinking of "how"...not there are too many possible problems. We need to have faith and resolve. Let the BOS /Carter/ the Planning folks do something positive rather than screw around with studies etc. I assume the building was probably fully insured if there was a mortgage. So the owners have 4.5 acres of land. A new note for construction should be reasonable easy to obtain....after all we have at least three banks on the community and they can come together and solve the financing. Time to get going.............

Tis: If they were just starting out I would agree. However, after many, many years everyone knows where the Woodshed is. By the way, do you really think the Woodshed building was nondescript? I thought it was full of character and that is one of the main reasons I enjoyed going there so much.

Never knew that one!
 

How did that one get by me? Must have been when my kids were little and I didn't drink much:D

No, the building was certainly wonderful, you said the old location was nondescript so I thought that you meant the location was nondescript, not the building. Sorry for the misinterpretation. I am just saying the original owners took an wonderful old farmhouse and made a charming business out of it. Now that all that is gone, would they be better off to build a charming new building on a busier road and get even more business from people other than those of us that know about it? I am not arguing for that, it is just something I would consider if it was my business and I was going to rebuild. On the other hand maybe land would be more expensive on the highway and they are happy where they are. No matter how they rebuild if they do, it will certainly be hard to recreate what they had. The only thing that might be nicer is it will be easier to heat. I was cold many times there in the winter.

The Woodshed
 

I was saddened with the news of the loss of the Woodshed. I always loved bringing friends and family there to show them that yes a restaurant nestled in the woods can be a successful place. I always chuckled at the thought of reviewing the business plan of the original owners as they presented it to the bank for a loan. I LOVED the décor. The character that this building had was irreplaceable! The food was not always perfect but the character made up for the problems with change of ownership etc over the years. The Woodshed is not re-buildable. Yes you can move the sign or build another restaurant and put the name Woodshed on it but it will never be the Woodshed we all know. Therefore like many other things in life those who got do visit her will always remember her and the joys we had there. Thanks for the memories!!

PS I've always loved the old farms converted into restaurants as they have wonderful character so we still have the Corner House Inn, Mames, The Common Man in Ashland, The Italian Farm House and I'm sure others can chime in with other local "Woodshed" type places. Growing up in Massachusetts I have always LOVED the Wayside Inn located in Sudbury Massachusetts. The Wayside Inn and the Woodshed always were my 2 favorite place to visit. So long old friend! Let's Skip and Go Naked!