On December 19, 2024, a devastating fire broke out at his Miami-based butcher shop, Meat N' Bone, along Coral Way. It caused extensive smoke damage and significant financial losses. Although the team acted swiftly to evacuate safely and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue contained the flames, the damage to operations during their busiest season — the holidays, no less — was immense.
The fateful day began like so many others during the company's busy season in December. Team members packed dry ice in the back, members shipped orders and assisted customers in the front, and Mata handled business.
"On that day, we had a whole crew of people in the back and a whole team in the front. I was on my way home from the office to do some finance work at home in peace when suddenly, I got a call. 'There's a fire! Holy shit! You have to get back here!' exclaimed my employee, Eric. Although I had just gotten home, I quickly changed back into my work clothes and ran out the door as fast as I possibly could. In a daze, it wasn't until I got a call from the alarm company telling me they had dispatched the fire truck that it truly hit me — my store and office were on fire," he recalls.
A Beloved Store Burnt to Ashes
When Mata arrived at Meat N' Bone, employees from nearby businesses and neighbors from nearby condominiums gathered outside on the sidewalk along the busy Coral Way, pointing and staring at the scene in awe. "Once I arrived at the building, the whole building was on fire, and heavy black smoke came out of the window," he remembers. "I'm like, 'What's going on?' Five whole minutes go by and the fire truck hasn't come yet. Honestly, I think those were the longest five minutes of my life."What was so painful for Mata is that this location of Meat N' Bone, in particular, is one he built from the ground up. He and his business partner, cofounder and CMO of Meat N' Bone Gabriel Llaurado, painted the walls, put up the shiplap, and even assembled each piece of furniture. "Every single piece of furniture in that office, we built it with our own hands. I couldn't believe it was happening," he recalls in disbelief.
Once the firefighters arrived at the scene, they entered the building through the roof and other entryways to expertly extinguish the fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue doesn't know what exactly caused it, but most likely, it was electrical. Once the fire was extinguished, the charred debris left behind of what was once a pristine shop was shocking — black char covered every appliance, metal beams throughout the store had bent in irreversible ways, plastic had melted throughout every corner, and brand new Meat N' Bone customized hats Mata had just custom-made for the team were burnt to crisp. Miraculously, however, the hat he had placed at the head of his meeting table was left almost unscathed, which was a sign of hope for Mata of things to come.
Thankfully, the fire occurred in an employee area, so the shop's walk-in meat freezer was left unharmed, and there was no loss of inventory. "The whole place is basically totaled," he says. While there was no loss of inventory, there were certainly delays in orders and unhappy customers, as the fire happened just five days before Christmas. The situation seemed like a total nightmare to Mata and his team.
CEO Luis Mata couldn't believe what he was seeing after he and his business partner single-handedly built the boutique from the ground up.
Photos by Luis Mata
Without Even the Blink of an Eye, Neighbors Step in
Despite the total loss of the location, Meat N' Bone's employees rallied together, and then, serendipity happened — the shop's neighboring business, Cana Wine Shop, had coincidentally been in the process of opening and had plenty of room to spare. Thanks to the owners' generosity, Meat N' Bone was able to relocate its inventory and set up a temporary storefront at Cana Wine Shop less than 12 hours after the fire was extinguished."We moved the shop overnight into Cana Wine Shop," he recalls. "We teamed up to carry the giant freezers and everything into their shop. We worked 18 hours straight to get the shop up and running. People walking along the sidewalk were totally in shock at how fast this was all happening."
Cana wasn't the only business to step in and help. Papa John's even brought over pizza from next door, and the hair salon next door not only helped with some of the move but they even helped them with electricity. Meat N' Bone employees rushed to the rescue, as well, helping to move all shipping and customer service operations to other boutiques, ensuring orders were fulfilled just in time for Christmas and New Year's Eve, and even upgrading shipping at no extra cost to customers — all without missing a single day.
"We're deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from friends, employees, neighbors, family, customers, and suppliers during this challenging time," Mata said at the time via Instagram alerting customers of the fire. "Our Coral Gables store may be down, but thanks to the incredible support of our community, we're back in business in just 30 hours (major props to our team for the sleepless nights). Huge thanks to Cana Wine Shop for lending us their space!"
Meat N' Bone is currently working tirelessly to rebuild while staying committed to its employees and customers. To support recovery, they are asking customers to continue supporting the brand.
Meat N' Bone. Temporarily at 2207 Coral Way, Miami, with other locations across Miami; meatnbone.com.
