Staff at Kilmarnock diner Oceans 11 pay tribute to community for rallying round after fire damage

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Owners and staff at Kilmarnock's bar and diner Oceans 11 say they are "devastated" after the blaze at a nearby property which left part of their premises badly damaged.The popular eaterie sits above Burgur Grill, where emergency services were called last Friday, May 26 around 2am.

No one was injured in the blaze on the ground floor but police say "extensive damage" has been caused.Ramon and Michelle Tognini have owned Oceans 11 for the last 31 years and were only ever closed down during the Covid pandemic.

Ramon said: "We are absolutely gutted, it is so devastating especially because it is no fault of our own."I believe it will take at least four days of deep professional cleaning but we can't go ahead with this until we have spoken with the insurance company."Michelle added: "The damage have also been done when the fireman had to break in but we are getting there and are now having several meetings to make sure that everything is back open as soon as possible."We have loyal customers and staff who have been working with us for years and we can't thank them enough for their support. "Fraser Cheyne has been working as a chef at Oceans for 27 years, along with his childhood best friend Ross Blackwood who has worked at the venue for 31 years.

Fraser said: "Me and Ross have played together as children and now we have been working together for decades. The owner and his wife and our manager are our family.