Bulverde – Maria Olivas and her husband lost their only source of income in March 2023 when two fires just hours apart destroyed Verde Bistro in Bulverde.
The restaurant opened in 2018, and they are back in business this week.
Investigators now say the fire started in the art studio next door and spread through the building. The cause of the fire was not suspicious, according to the Comal County Fire Marshal.
“This place was completely total disaster and loss,” Olivas said. “What you see from inside, it’s all brand new walls, brand new floors and everything else. We were able to salvage a few things here and there.”
After a long, painful two-year journey and many lessons learned, the Olivas are glad to welcome back friends and customers. S
Olivas said they are reopening mostly because of them.
“We had the most beautiful response from all of our customers. So that’s really what indicated that we really needed to fight for this and that we really needed to come back stronger and stronger than ever before. And that’s what we did.”
She says reopening at another location was not an option. Her message to other business owners is to plan for the worst-case scenario.
“One of the biggest takeout that we have here is that you have to make sure that you have sufficient insurance to make sure that you’re able to come back. We didn’t. Unfortunately."