BB Rooner’s to reopen outdoor deck for Super Nats

The owner credits the fire department with saving the building.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — A bar and restaurant that attracts everyone from people in suits to bikers and kids will temporarily reopen this weekend.

BB Rooner’s, 256 E. State St., is still undergoing renovation after a kitchen fire.

An undamaged deck at the rear of the bar will open late in the afternoon Friday and will be open all day Saturday.

The American Red Cross will launch its fifth annual poker run fundraiser at Rooner’s on Sunday as part of the local events during the Steel Valley Super Nationals at the Quaker City Raceway. Registration is from 11 a.m. to the noon start at the rear. The cost is $15.

Renovation on the building is still under way, and the restaurant is expected to be open by late July or early August.

The fire

Owner Dan Engle recalled that he and workers had left about 12:45 a.m. April 14.

His security company called at 3 a.m., saying that a smoke detector had activated.

Engle, who lives a mile from the restaurant, quickly reached the building.

Flames were coming from a hood on the roof from the kitchen’s exhaust system.

“I can’t say enough nice things about the fire department. They’re top shelf,” Engle said.

Firefighters asked him to go to the front of the building and open the doors to let smoke out. Engle did, and thick smoke came out.

“I don’t think you could take three steps into it,” he said.

The kitchen, where the blaze started, was gutted. The rest of the restaurant had smoke damage. Adjoining businesses and law offices also had smoke damage. The total damage to the restaurant could go as high as $700,000.

“It could have been a disaster,” Engle said.

The former baker and car salesman said people often ask him when the restaurant will reopen. One reason is that practically everyone in the area goes there at some point.

When Engle opened the restaurant 18 years ago, his plan was for a bar that would serve basic bar food.

“It kept getting bigger,” Engle said. “I really had no idea how big it would get.”

It now employees 25 people, most of whom are full time.

Visitors will see people of all ages, including children, who can play basketball and other arcade and video games. Engle said that parents will often call and drop off teens for a hour or so who can play the games and eat while the parents are busy. One man working on the renovations brought his children, who played on the deck well away from the work.

Tables inside the main entrance will be replaced with booths.

Little else will change. The sports memorabilia throughout Rooners has been sent out for cleaning.

Portions of the trim inside the bar remain. These were made from the former bleachers at the Salem High School that were sold in 1989.

Engle said of the renovations, “Everything is first rate.”

Running such an establishment seven days a week can be tough, the owner said. But he added, “I’ve never been out of work in my entire life.”

wilkinson@vindy.com