Matunuck Oyster Bar employee ‘cried instantly’ after fire, shares memories about restaurant

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — One day after flames tore through the popular Matunuck Oyster Bar, a server is speaking on how the restaurant can move forward.

“I was shocked,” Hannah Lorusso said. “I cried instantly when I saw the fire.”

Lorusso said she worked as a server at the Oyster Bar for several years and was still working there part-time on weekends.

“When I was there serving, there was a lot of people that would always tell me they would drive [to Rhode Island] just to go to Matunuck,” she said.

After flames engulfed the restaurant Tuesday morning, fire officials said the building may be a total loss.

“Some of my favorite memories are definitely working with a lot of my friends in college, meeting a lot of new friends there, that’s been a staple,” Lorusso said. “We’d all hang out after work.”

The community now is rallying around the restaurant and owner Perry Raso.

“I would say no one works harder than Perry does in the state of Rhode Island,” Lorusso said. “He’s a very hard worker, he built that place from a little shack in a dock, and he built it all the way up.”

There are several online fundraisers, and some have already pulled in more than $110,000.

“My heart just goes out to the people that, that’s their full time job, that’s how they support their families,” Lorusso said. “I’m lucky enough to have something else, but a lot of people don’t, so I’m really hoping that people donate and they can help out.”