Cool Restaurant — Under Cover of Snow

“The front door burst open in the severe weather at 6 o’clock [yesterday] morning,” Kristinn Bjarnason, owner of the restaurant North West, located on Ring Road One at Víðigerði, Northwest Iceland (between Staðarskáli logde and the town Blönduós), tells Morgunblaðið. “The wind blew straight at it.”

Luckily, employees noticed what happened about half an hour later. “At that point, snow had drifted into the place,” Kristinn explains. “They tried to close the door, but since it was damaged, they couldn’t. They subsequently called [the emergency line] 112, and Húnar rescue team arrived to nail the door shut. After that, some great people from around here arrived and helped us shovel the snow out. All day long, we’ve been mopping up water and assessing the damage.”

The plan had been to reopen the restaurant yesterday, following winter closure. Instead, the goal is to open today.

The extent of the damage is not clear. “We turned off all equipment and have kept a blower running all day long to get rid of the moisture, Kristinn states. “It remains to be seen whether computers, coolers and other equipment can be turned back on. The furniture is made of wood and leather. We believe some of the chairs may have been damaged, but overall, we escaped pretty well. We’re lucky how quickly this was detected. Had the place stood open much longer, it would have filled with snow.”

The restaurant was recently remodeled and all its interior and furniture replaced.