An iconic Delta restaurant was destroyed by fire on Thursday.
Flames ripped through the wooden building housing Giusti’s and thwarted crews from the Walnut Grove Fire District — which declared itself “absolutely heartbroken” by the total loss of the restaurant.
No injuries were reported. The cause remains under investigation; owner Mark Morais told TV station ABC10 that he suspected a problem with the propane water heater.
Giusti’s has been run by one family for more than 100 years, first as a saloon and store and since the mid-1940s as a restaurant. Mark Morais and his wife, Linda, are the third generation.
On the Mokelumne River at Snodgrass Slough, the establishment advertised “Cocktails Dinners Boat Landing.” It served family-style dinners, took no reservations or credit cards, and the ceiling of its bar was festooned with hundreds of trucker hats pinned up by patrons.