EAST VILLAGE — Contrary to a Facebook announcement over the weekend, gas service has not been restored to B&H Dairy Kosher Restaurant, according to a Department of Buildings spokesman.
The 73-year-old restaurant, which was closed after Con Ed shut off its cooking gas about four months ago, said it would soon reopen after passing a DOB gas inspection over the weekend.
“Gas should be turned on early next week and then they [can] stock and get cooking. We will announce an opening date soon — could be as soon as a week,” according to an Aug. 1 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, which received more than a hundred "Likes" from excited customers.
But B&H Dairy actually failed its gas authorization earlier that day because it could not pass a pressure test designed to check the pipes’ integrity, the DOB spokesman said.
The restaurant could open for business, he explained, but would not be allowed to use cooking gas.
Con Edison shut off the restaurant’s gas following the Second Avenue gas explosion, which killed two men and leveled three buildings, because of pipe leakage, the utility provider previously told DNAinfo New York.
A Con Edison spokesman said the utility would not restore cooking gas to the restaurant until the restaurant passed the DOB's tests. B&H Dairy's plumber would also need to conduct specific tests, file paperwork and complete a "final inspection checklist" before the service is restored, he said.
However, co-owner Fawzy Abdelwahed said his contractor told him a DOB inspector said they had passed the inspection and that it would take a couple of days for paperwork to be submitted into the system.
The past few months have been difficult for Abdelwahed and his wife, who took over the neighborhood staple in 2003.
As they waded through red tape to make necessary repairs, they continued to pay their $8,000 rent each month, as well as other monthly bills for items like electricity, insurance and telephone service. The owners also paid $25,000 for a new exhaust system, said co-owner Ola Abdelwahed.
The couple raised about $26,500 through an online fundraising campaign in April, which went towards rent and employee salaries, Ola said.
Another online fundraiser is currently underway to help the owners pay for their mounting costs. The campaign, which ends in roughly two weeks, has raised more than $23,000 so far.
