Hamilton’s Charred Rotisserie House set to reopen after fire last year

Charred Rotisserie House on James St. North in Hamilton is set to open its doors again after a devastating fire in March 2024.

At the time, there was no confirmed cause of the fire. Now that repairs have been completed, the owner says the fire began in the building’s ductwork.

No injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at over $1 million.

Now, 14 months later, all the staff at Charred have returned to work, saying the restaurant is like a family atmosphere.

“[The owner] is an excellent boss,” said restaurant manager Srhojan Liskeng.

“He’s like a father to us here at Charred.”

Liskeng began working at the restaurant as a dishwasher over 10 years ago, working his way up to manager. This was his first job after moving here from the Philippines.

Most of the staff working at Charred have been with the restaurant for at least five years.

Liskeng was working the day of the fire and says he still has flashbacks.

“[It was] a terrible emotion, I can’t explain it,” he said.

Charred’s owner, Mark Morgenstern, said he was on vacation in Mexico at the time of the fire last year.

“It’s been a long 14 months,” he said.

“I had no idea what was going on. Only when I got here I saw the damage for the restaurant.”

Morgenstern says it’s taken longer than expected to reopen, and now they only have a few finishing touches left to go.

As for the menu, it will continue to feature what they are known for – tasty chicken.

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