Neal and Pam’s bar reopened after electrical fire. Now they are suing over faulty equipment

Neal and Pam’s is suing three businesses over the fire that caused the local restaurant to close for eight months.

The Surfside Beach bar is suing Surfside Electrical, Expert Air Heating and Air Conditioning and Amazon, according to the suit filed April 5.

Neal and Pam’s, located at 20 Ocean Blvd S, suffered a structural fire on July 22. The Surfside Beach Fire Department determined that the cause was electrical.

After eight months of repairs, the well-known, local bar reopened to the public on March 27.

While the structure of the building didn’t change, there are new breakfast items such as lobster rolls, Gator Po’ Boy and burgers.

The bar is suing for negligence, strict liability, breach of implied warranty and breach of implied warranty of merchantability.

Gene M. Connell, the attorney representing Neal and Pam’s, did not immediately respond to a request for comment made by the Sun News on April 10.

The lawsuit states that there’s video that shows the fire starting from an air curtain, a machine that blows a controlled stream of air across the opening. According to owner Zach Baker, the air curtain shorted out.

The air curtain was purchased from Amazon, manufactured by Sanven Corp. and installed by Expert Air Heating and Air Conditioning, the suit says. All are listed as defendants in the suit.

“(Neal and Pam’s) has lost business, lost profit, lost personality, lost furniture, lost food, lost liquor, lost equipment and lost future profits as a result of the fire,” the suit says.

The air curtain is in the custody of an expert witness obtained by Neal and Pam’s legal team. They obtained one after the defendant’s expert was able to look at the air curtain after the fire, according to the suit.

Neal and Pam’s is asking for actual damages and the cost of the lawsuit.

This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 2:26 PM.