Water damage from a “renegade sprinkler” has resulted in the temporary closure of the Rustico restaurant in Ballston.
The pizza and beer-focused eatery has been shuttered to allow for renovation work since last Tuesday (Jan. 15), and a series of tarps currently cover its bar.
“We are working tirelessly to get things back up and running, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you,” a sign posted on its door says. “We’ll be cooking and pouring again in no time.”
The restaurant’s general manager, Ryan Cline, told ARLnow that the sprinkler dumped more than five inches of water into the restaurant in total, prompting all sorts of challenges for the staff.
“We are still doing repairs as fast as possible,” Cline wrote in an email. He added that he’s hoping to reopen the eatery by Feb. 1.
In the meantime, Rustico’s original, Alexandria location, at 827 Slaters Lane, is still open for business.
The restaurant opened up the Ballston space back in 2010.