Owners of a much-loved Airdrie restaurant which has been destroyed by fire say they are “slowly trying to process what has happened” following the overnight blaze.
Trattoria Guidi, which has been a Monklands institution for nearly four decades, went up in flames in the early hours with six fire crews being called to douse the fire.
Customers, local businesses and community representatives are all lending their support, sharing fond memories and offering support and backing for the family business to rebuild.
Trattoria Guidi posted on their Facebook page: “We had a severe fire at the restaurant last night. We are devastated and slowly trying to process what has happened.
“The most important thing is that no-one was in at the time and so all of our staff are safe.
“We will let you all know when we have more news. Thank you all for your kind messages and support.”
Hundreds of customers replied expressing support for the Guidi family and the restaurant’s staff following the “heartbreaking” fire, praising its place as “an absolute pillar of the community in Airdrie and Coatbridge” and calling it “part of the local DNA”.
The stream of online messages offering support also included dozens from businesses across Monklands, both in hospitality and other industries, as well as community councils and local representatives.
Airdrie Central councillor Jim Logue, the leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said he and local authority officials had been alerted during the night as the fire took hold just before 1am.
He told Lanarkshire Live: “Like every other resident in Airdrie, I’m absolutely gutted about the intensity of the fire and the damage caused.
“Guidis is a very respected and well-customised restaurant; it’s a real feature in the community and leaves a huge gap for a lot of residents – it’s so well loved and lots of families use it.
“So many birthdays, marriages, retirals and other celebrations have all taken place there and people were shocked to wake up to that news this morning and are devastated to hear what’s happened, with a plethora of comments on social media reacting to the terrible news.”
He added: “Our services including building control were there with the emergency services during the night; the police and fire services were most professional and made sure everybody including neighbouring residents were safe.
“I hope Guidis are able to restore the service they had previously, and we’ll get in contact to see what help the council can give.
“At the moment there’s a lot of emotional upheaval for the family, but when the time is right our business support service will be in contact and we’ll all sit down see what help can be given with planning, building control and so on to get the premises re-established.”
Neil Gray, the Airdrie MSP, said: “I woke up to messages saying what had happened and that the restaurant has been completely destroyed, and I’m just so desperately sad for Carlo, the family and staff.
“So many memories for people across Airdrie and Coatbridge were made in that restaurant; it’s so popular and local folk loved it as there have been so many lovely meals and celebrations there.”
The fire comes only three months after restaurants were finally allowed to reopen fully following the second coronavirus lockdown and after lengthy periods of closure since March 2020.
Mr Gray added: “For this to happen when businesses were reopening and people were starting to go back out is devastating and I feel so bad for the family and staff; they’d been doing really well since reopening and it just makes it so hard.
“I’ll be reaching out to them to offer support if they need or want it; I’d seen their Facebook post saying that they’re devastated and it must be a terrible shock – it’s so sad.”
Constituency colleague Anum Qaisar-Javed MP said: “I’m devastated for Carlo and his team. The most important thing is that no-one was injured but I know how loved Guidis is among locals – passion shone through in their service, which is why they have such a loyal customer base.
“They will hugely missed for now but my hope is that they are able to rebuild and get back to doing what they love; I’ve reached out to offer any support my team and I can provide.”
Coatbridge neighbour Fulton MacGregor MSP added: “I was absolutely devastated to hear this news and my thoughts are also with Carlo and his family.
“Guidis has been very popular with people in Coatbridge & Chryston for decades and many people will be feeling very sad today; you’d be hard pushed to find someone in the local area who hasn’t enjoyed a meal here, myself included.
“I really hope they can come back from this and I'm offering my support to anyone affected. I’d also like to thank the emergency services for their hard work, with the fire service especially working tirelessly in their efforts to control the fire."
Coatbridge colleague Steven Bonnar MP added: "The news is nothing short of tragic. I know many constituents, my own family included, have enjoyed many an evening being looked after by the diligent and hard-working staff team there."
Among the many expressions of support posted online were messages from neighbouring restaurant Monterey Jack’s, located across Rochsolloch Road from Guidis.
They called the fire “tragic” and said: “Our thoughts are with all those at Guidis restaurant; hope all are ok and that we will see them open again in the future.”
Coatbridge restaurant The Mint posted on Facebook: “Absolutely devastated to hear this news about Guidis, a local institution.
“From one family business to another, thoughts and prayers with Carlo and his team – we hope you can rebuild and come back stronger than ever.”
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