Save Pinky's

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Pinky Cole and I own Pinky's Jamaican and American Restaurant in Harlem, NY.

On the morning of June 17th,2016 at 1:16 am, after I closed my restaurant for the day, I received a call that it was on fire. When I arrived, the streets were blocked off and filled with fire trucks and police cars. I was so confused because I just left the business two hours prior, so in my mind, the idea of a fire seemed impossible.  I walked toward the front and my heart dropped.  My restaurant was destroyed.

My store front glass was shattered, water damage everywhere, register destroyed and the entire back of the store was ruined because of the blaze.    As of today, my store is inoperable. 

The Fire Marshall conducted an investigation and concluded that there was a grease fire caused by the pilot on the stove.

Here is where things get complicated: When I called my insurance company, I learned that although I had the required insurance to operate my business, I didn't have property coverage, so the damages are my responsibility, and not the landlord.

So this is where reality sets in. So many questions I ask myself, do I walk away from my dream, do I quit after two long years of sacrifice? Do I stop here because the damage appears more costly than I can handle? One could imagine the stress this has presented both personally and professionally. 

But one thing I do know is that God wouldn't lead me this far just to leave me right here. I believe in second chances, and  for all that I've already endured with my business, I still have an opportunity to re-open my doors.

I am humbly coming to my friends and family to help me raise funds to reconstruct the damages made to my restaurant. If you know me,  you know i'm very private, but there comes a time in life when its okay to ask for help. 

It would cost me about $15,000 to repair the restaurant back to working condition:

Replace and fix parts for  hooding system (motor damaged from fire)
Replace 3 required fire extinguisher units 
Re-do the drop ceiling in the entire (water damage)
Re-place fixtures damaged by the fire
Hire an electrician to re-wire the restaurant.
Buy a new deep freezer destroyed by the heat of the blaze
Re-do the bathroom (water damage and pipes burst along with vanity destroyed.)
Hire a plumber to fix broken pipes by dishwashing area Plumber will also fix plumbing in the basement (water damage to basement of restaurant) 
Replace stove
Replace deep fryer parts damaged by the blaze.
Replace register
Replace store front window broken by the fire department
Pay about 5 contracted workers to do the job.
Buy material from home depot
Hire a carting company (garbage removal) to remove the debree from the restaurant. 
Re buy seasonings, meat, and goods all destroyed in restaurant. 

I know this may sound like a lot but the closer I get to this goal, the closer I can have my restaurant back.  Your donation will help me to re-fuel  my dream, and inspire others to never give up in the midst of their circumstances.


The biggest blessing in this situation is that no one was hurt (Thank you lord), and I learned something that i will never forget. ALWAYS have property insurance in business, take it from me. 

Thank you for the calls, emails, and genuine support, I appreciate you. I love you, and I pray that with your help, Pinky's will soon offer the best Jerk chicken in Harlem, again. 

God bless.