Six months after a kitchen fire forced La Bocca Pizzeria and Modern Margarita to close in downtown Chandler, management has decided not to reopen the restaurants in their former space.
"The damage was too extensive and it was more of a timing issue," said James Hamilton, spokesperson for Mill Avenue Management Group, the group behind La Bocca, Modern Margarita and The Handlebar.
He said the team was "exploring other locations" and "still looking in Chandler" to possibly reopen the restaurants, but no concrete plans have been set yet.
Both restaurants shared a kitchen at a building on the southeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Boston Street.
On Nov. 7, 2017, a fire started in the kitchen. It was described as a "total loss."
At the time, fire officials said the cause of the fire was "undetermined" and that crews had to cut multiple holes to access the flames.
