Deer wreak havoc on Main Street restaurant
By Alexandra Bogdanovic
Crescendo Bistro in Old Town Warrenton bustled with activity on Monday afternoon. But co-owner Rob Fleming and his staff weren't serving the usual lunchtime crowd.
Instead, they were cleaning up a devastating mess left by three unwelcome visitors.
"We're closed for business until we get this sorted out," Fleming said. He did not know when the restaurant will reopen.
The popular eatery sustained extensive damage over the weekend when three deer crashed through the window, overlooking Main Street, according to police.
"At approximately 11:12 a.m. [Sunday] we received a complaint at the Crescendo Bistro restaurant at 32 Main Street," said Warrenton Police Capt. Lou Battle. "Three deer broke into the restaurant through the front window and destroyed the dining room area."
One of the animals escaped through the back door, one went back through the plate glass window in the front and the other remained inside the building.
The deer that stayed inside had to be euthanized, according to Battle.
Local painter Palmer Smith said one of the deer that escaped almost ran him over as he was working at the corner of Fifth Street.
"I heard what I thought was a dog running towards me, and I looked up and there was a deer barreling towards me," Smith said. "I thought it was going to run right over me and everything would go flying, but it went under my easel."
No one seems to know where the animals came from or what caused them to crash into the restaurant. But Fleming said he was shocked by the amount of damage the animals caused.
The front door needs to be replaced, as do the two picture windows at the front of the restaurant. The flooring was "all torn up" and almost every table and chair in the main dining room was knocked over, Fleming said.
"There are some structural issues and some plumbing damage caused by the deer that was trapped in the mechanical room," he added.
In addition to taking a financial toll, the incident has taken an emotional toll on Fleming, who owns the restaurant with Laura Hoffman.
"It was very hard to come in and see everything in that state," Fleming said. "But we will reopen and be just as good, if not better than before."
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com