A fire that recently destroyed 2 beloved businesses in Uptown Lexington, on May 19, 2026, caused severe water and smoke damage to our restaurant, Main Street Pizza & Deli, which my family has owned and operated on Main Street since the 80’s. 

We have missed all of you strolling on our sidewalk and patronizing our businesses on our special block in Uptown Lexington since the devastating fire. Most traumatic, was standing across the street in the dark in the early hours Tuesday morning; all four families owning the businesses affected, watching our blood, sweat and tears for years disintegrate and wash away before our very eyes and hugging each other because part of our family was going away. Our thoughts were of our customers over the many years that we are so thankful for, but would not be able to see again for a good while. As well as, “how are we going to come back to life and most painful the thought of our employees having no job to come back to”. As you know, two of our block families’ buildings burned almost to the ground. Bagels and More had extensive smoke and water damage. Our hearts ache for them as they lost things that were irreplaceable. Main Street Pizza and Deli had so much smoke and water damage that all the interior walls, ceiling and floors will have to be gutted right down to the brick and mortar and studs and concrete to mitigate the moisture and smoke damage. We will continue to work through the assessment of the damage and develop plans for restoration. In the past days, the owners and managers of the Deli have been in constant contact through meetings with the owners of the businesses affected, structural engineers, insurance representatives, City officials, Uptown Lexington, and State historical preservation officials. This has been a collaborative and cooperative effort by all involved. Of primary concern is the stability of the remaining walls. Safety concerns have dictated the street and sidewalk closing. We are also painfully aware neighboring businesses have been affected by street closure. Make them top of mind and patronize them, please. Next time you see a fireman and policeman, thank them as their jobs were very hard that night as well as their monitoring in days ahead, they did such a great job. Thank you for all your prayers and love for us all. Between all of us, we will post our progress and status as we know more.

We hope to one day enjoy a Roast Beef Sandwich together again and have the opportunity to continue our family’s legacy, and that of the families who served these recipes before us.