Water main bursts at CJ’s Cafe morning before reopening

YALE — Tragedy struck CJ’s restaurant in town with unjust timing. 

When Bob, the cook, walked through the back door on Monday following a weeklong closure ready to reopen, he was met with water gushing down from the ceiling.

A water main located in the back storage room burst, resulting in water flowing throughout the staff-only areas. 

“It’s like a shower was on,” Bob said. 

No food was affected, but water infiltrated beneath the wooden floors in the dining area closest to the kitchen. 

An abatement team got to work, utilizing as many as 17 fans to dry up lingering water. A plumber quickly replaced the pipe, but the restaurant’s ice machine was damaged. A section of the drywall in the back will also need to be replaced.

Owner Liz Dabney shared the news on CJ’s Facebook page, which received a bevy of comments. The restaurant welcomes neighborly support as they work towards a return. 

As far as a timeline goes, “I’m hoping not more than two weeks. It would be rough if it was longer than that,” said Dabney, who was awaiting the next steps through insurance when discussing her establishment. 

— Max Kappel is a reporter covering local government and agriculture for The Yale Expositor and is a Report for America corps member. Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. Make a tax-deductible donation to support his work and Report for America will match it dollar for dollar. Go to: tinyurl.com/2s372ebu. Reach him at max@yaleexpositor.com.