Review: At The Fire Spot, ex-firefighter turns hunger extinguisher
Ex-Buffalo Fire lieutenant Rodney Wilkinson's firing away in Tonawanda
Rodney Wilkinson spent his firefighting career finding ways into burning buildings.
Getting into the restaurant business seemed like a logical next step.
In the worst climate for independent restaurants since the Great Depression, the retired Buffalo Fire Department lieutenant opened The Fire Spot, his soul food and breakfast spot in Tonawanda.
Over two years, Wilkinson renovated the former Suzy Q’s Bar-B-Que space, on River Road, near the General Motors plant. A fresh start includes a freshly renovated dining room and upgraded bathrooms. It’s booth seating now, in a room lined with photographs, helmets, and more memorabilia marking Wilkinson’s firefighting career.
The affable owner will happily explain any of it, while he and his crew take orders and carry out plates.
We’re talking chicken and waffles, breakfast all day, fried seafood, shrimp and grits, and Wilkinson’s own contribution to Buffalo’s fried chicken culture: baskets of fried chicken skin, chicken chicharrones really, served with blue cheese dressing.
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