The Royal Duke Hotel Eatery & Pub isn't having the best Christmas season this year.

Just over a week ago on December 7, early in the morning a water pipe burst causing a significant number of damage to the Duke's main floor where the restaurant and bar are located

Owner Guy Ward says they've had to gut out just about everything possible to get down to the floor boards and start the rebuild.

"It started spraying up into the ceiling and in between the floors. Got into all these tracks, ran down them and then it rained down in the middle of the room," he says. "It's hard to say I'd have to guess about 200-250 thousand dollars damage."

Ward says he had to make a decision quickly on how he was to handle the Royal Duke's future and thankfully he decided to go with a complete tear down and start from scratch renovation.

"We got on it right away, we were drying it hours after it happened and the rip out started hours after it happened. We did the right thing before it could mold or set-up anything like that. So now we're at the stage where it's rebuild."

As for the staff of the establishment, managerial employees have been able to keep their jobs but Ward had no choice but to tell hourly employees to find another place of work till they can get back on track.

As for when the Royal Duke will open it's doors Ward hopes by early March he can get back up and running.

"Pretty much everything was new five years ago and we're just putting back what was here," he says. "We've got a play coming up for all of March and I think we'll be ready and open for that."

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