Westy's Firehouse

[Westbrook Academy]

Westy's Firehouse originally opened in 1998 in Baumton as Rick's. It was a basic diner, and its owner, Rick, was new to the restaurant business. Like the rest of Baumton, it was annihilated in the Rikti Invasion of 2002.

Rick's remained closed for several years as the city recovered from the invasion, and while he fought with his insurance company to get reimbursed for the damages. Reimbursement finally came through right about the time of Westbrook's founding. In looking for a new place to open, Rick decided to open up next to Westbrook with the name Westy's to attract the student crowd.

Rick, who soon became known primarily as Westy, had learned a bit in the previous iteration of the restaurant, so the second version improved upon the first in some ways. The menu was somewhat better and had a few more options, and the decor was improved. Mustang banners and colors were everywhere.

Word of Westy's spread like wildfire. The food was good - an amazing alternative to that glowing meatloaf being served in the cafeteria - and the atmosphere was relaxed and easy. Students began to flock to Westy's for parties, study sessions, cram sessions, and pie eating contests. Westy's prospered, and it became tradition for Rick to give part-time jobs to the students. He always reserved a few jobs for the scholarship kids, knowing they needed work more than the ones whose parents were rolling in dough. Working at Westy's was an honor for the majority of the students and positions were passed on like gauntlets.

Unfortunately, disaster struck again in the spring of 2010. A fight broke out between two students at Westy's. One of them had fire powers and lost control during the altercation. The Mustang flags and banners draped all around the restaurant made for perfect kindling. Fortunately, nobody sustained anything worse than minor injuries. Unfortunately, Westy's burnt to the ground.

Westy's obviously closed after this, and another round of insurance battles ensued. Rick was disheartened by his bad luck and was considering calling it quits with the restaurant. Lucky for Westbook, a recent alum who had fond memories of Westy's stepped in and asked to become co-owner. The new, mostly silent partner helped provide the capital necessary to rebuild and remodel.

In mid 2011, Westy's reopened as Westy's Firehouse. Though its decor has been overhauled - built from the ground up to be completely fire-proof - it still retains much of the charm and tradition that made Westbrook's population fall in love with it in the first place. Although, it should be noted, the venue has developed a bit of a reputation for its bad luck at this point.