NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the time being, the owners of Bartella at 164 Second Avenue N. must rely on media coverage to see the condition of their restaurant.
Co-owner Peter Gameel said he's constantly looking for his dessert shop in new videos and pictures of the damage from the Christmas morning explosion. The bomb detonated in an RV across the street from Bartella.
"I was just waiting until they directed their camera to my store," said Peter Gameel about the aerial coverage from Sky 5 on the morning of the explosion. "The only thing I could see was, because we are the only building that is a different color so, I just saw blue and white."
From home on Friday, Gameel was only able to download three images from his cameras inside his restaurant before the electricity was cut off. The photos captured debris everywhere, holes in the walls and the new signs they made for Christmas destroyed.
He said the city told him it could be weeks before he sees any of it in person.
"I don't know what's going on there. I'm not allowed to be there yet, so I don't know how the store is right now. All I can see is it's a disaster. It's destroyed," Gameel said.
On Tuesday, about twenty people were allowed to check the status of their business or residence, but those properties are not as close to ground zero as Bartella.
Gameel got an idea when he will see it after attending a meeting for property owners on Sunday.
"[They said] people in ground zero, it's going to be awhile. We're not sure when, but it's going to take some time before we let you in," he said.
A GoFundMe for Bartella is set up. The restaurant was already closed for four months this year because of the pandemic.
