East Quogue waterside restaurant Dockers damaged by fire

A fire damaged the kitchen of Dockers Waterside, a popular waterfront eatery in East Quogue, forcing owners to temporarily shutter the beach-season staple through the traditionally busy Memorial Day weekend.

A post on the Dune Road restaurant's Instagram thanked the first responders on the scene and confirmed the eatery will be closed while they continue "cleaning up and making repairs where we can."

"Everyone is safe and ok," the post reads. "We’re assessing the damage and will continue to post updates as we go through all of this."

The cause of the Wednesday afternoon fire is still under investigation, said Southampton Chief Fire Marshal John Rankin on Thursday. Where the fire started is also unclear, Rankin said.

About 3:53 p.m., the East Quogue Fire Department responded to the blaze, a Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services official told Newsday.

The fire burned through the roof in the kitchen area on the east side of the building and there is "significant fire, heat and smoke damage to the remainder of the building," Rankin told Newsday. No injuries were reported, he added.

Larry Hoffman, the owner of Dockers, declined to comment when a Newsday reporter approached him in the restaurant's parking lot Thursday afternoon. The building, which overlooks Shinnecock Bay, was not visible from the parking lot of the roadway.

Volunteers from the Flanders, Hampton Bays, North Sea, Southampton and West Hampton fire departments also responded to the call, the county fire official said. The fire was deemed under control after 30 minutes.

Even when the weather fails to cooperate, Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a busy time for Dockers and the handful of eateries along Dune Road, which spans a 15-mile barrier island frequented by East End locals and out-of-towners alike for postcardlike sunset at its many beaches.

On its website, the restaurant bills itself as "what summer in the Hamptons is all about."

Its temporary closing came amid a wet and chilly holiday weekend forecast.

"We’ll still get busy," said Briana Oakland, whose family owns a pair of Hampton Bays eateries on Dune Road; Oaklands Restaurant and Marina; and Sundays On The Bay.

Oakland added, "but you won’t be slammed because of the rain."

Oakland expects both her family's eateries to be busier than usual while repairs are underway at Dockers.

"We felt sorry because the employees over there, servers, bussers, bartenders, they're all out of jobs," Oakland said. "We already hired people to work, but if someone doesn't work out or if we have extra spots, we'll pull them in."