BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The longtime owner of The Old Pink, Molly Brinkworth, said she was in shock after learning her iconic bar was destroyed by a fire Monday.
A makeshift memorial and a pile of rubble are all that remains after crews demolished the iconic bar on Monday afternoon
7 News spoke with Brinkworth on Wednesday for the first time since the fire, near the site where The Old Pink used to stand.
"What could you do? It's like a death. You can't take it back," Brinkworth said.
When asked what's next, Brinkworth responded, "I still haven't decided. We have a lot to process."
She owned The Old Pink for 33 years but it was in her family before that.
"My father and uncle bought it in 1969 and brought in the steak sandwich," said Brinkworth.
She said her family was inspired after having a great steak sandwich at a bar in New York City and her uncle and her dad said they were bringing it to Buffalo.
The secret of that famous sandwich?
"It's Guinness beer, onions and peppers and a grill that's been searing for 33 years," said Brinkworth.
7 News spoke with members of the community earlier this week who shared their memories of the bar and its celebrated steak sandwich as well.
That steak sandwich was one of many things that made The Old Pink so popular.
The bar meant a lot to the community, its employees and its patrons.
"At the end of the day it's my customers, they made my bar a family and we became this subculture of craziness," said Brinkworth. "I'm so lucky that I got to sit on my bar stool and I met people from around the world."
On Monday night, the community showed up to what's left of the iconic bar for a candlelight vigil
While the structure is gone, the community it brought together remains and they gathered at Mulligan's Brick Bar on Allen Street. Brinkworth looked around at all the people inside the bar and said, "Look at all the people that are here to support us."
She wants everyone to know she is grateful for that support which is helping her through a challenging time.
"For the last 33 years, we've been saying at the end of the night, 'Hey guys...bars closed! It's time to go home'," said Brinkworth.
She wanted to say it one more time while surrounded by friends and family. The crowd that used to gather at The Old Pink yelled, "Last Call!"
Brinkworth said, "Thank you for letting me say that for the last time."
A GoFundMe has been created to help raise money to help Brinkworth and the staff.
Brick Bar is doing its part and is expanding its hours to fill a neighborhood void left by The Pink. You can find more on that story here.
Meantime, the Buffalo History Museum wants your pictures and memories from The Old Pink. In a post on Facebook, the museum says, "We looked back in our records and found that there had been a bar in that building at Allen and Mariner Streets since at least 1898! The building itself dated back to the mid 1860s." You can submit pictures and memories here.
