Eilat Restaurateurs Rebuild After Devastating Fire at Melody Restaurant

Two months ago on a Friday morning, Shnir Sabag and his wife Yarden Goldstein-Sabag faced a traumatic event when a fire broke out at their Melody restaurant in Eilat, nearly destroying it completely. The couple had just celebrated their children's end-of-year school achievements and hosted hundreds of guests the night before across their three restaurants: Melody, Papi, and Pago Pago. Shnir recalls seeing a massive smoke plume on the horizon and praying it wasn’t their restaurant. Upon arrival, he was shocked by the scale of the blaze and helplessly watched firefighters battle the fire. The cause remains unclear but is suspected to be a spark from a nearby building fire earlier that day.

At the time, only two cooks and a dishwasher were inside, and thankfully no injuries occurred. Yarden described the scene as watching their "baby" burn and seeing Shnir in shock. Despite the devastation, the couple plans to renovate and reopen Melody in the coming months. The other two restaurants continue normal operations.

Melody was their first restaurant, opened three years ago and quickly became a popular local and tourist hotspot, breaking records with up to 500 guests daily in peak season. Shnir and Yarden, both lifelong Eilat residents, have grown their business to become the city's largest restaurant group, managing three venues without partners. Their success is partly credited to Yarden’s father, Dror Goldstein, a seasoned hotelier who advises them.

The couple entered the restaurant business after selling family hotels to Brown Hotels post-COVID. They opened Melody in summer 2023, followed by acquiring the nostalgic Papi steakhouse and reviving Pago Pago, a historic marina restaurant, in 2025. They emphasize their commitment to Eilat’s evolving culinary scene and local community, despite the challenges of seasonal tourism fluctuations and intense workload.

Yarden notes Melody is the only kosher restaurant among their three, due to property restrictions, while the others remain non-kosher. They acknowledge the sacrifices involved, including working holidays and missing family time, but remain proud of their achievements and optimistic about expanding their business further, potentially beyond Eilat, while keeping their core operations in the city.

Summary: Restaurateurs Shnir Sabag and Yarden Goldstein-Sabag suffered a devastating fire at their Melody restaurant in Eilat two months ago but plan to rebuild. They operate two other successful restaurants and are committed to growing their business and supporting Eilat’s culinary scene despite challenges.

Points: - Fire destroyed Melody restaurant in Eilat two months ago; no injuries reported. - Owners Shnir and Yarden plan to renovate and reopen Melody soon. - They also run two other popular Eilat restaurants, Papi and Pago Pago. - The couple credits family support and local commitment for their success. - They manage seasonal tourism challenges and work long hours, including holidays. - Expansion plans include possibly opening venues outside Eilat while maintaining local roots.

Topic: economy israel_relevant: true Entities: {"people": ["Shnir Sabag", "Yarden Goldstein-Sabag", "Dror Goldstein"], "organizations": ["Melody", "Papi", "Pago Pago", "Brown Hotels"], "places": ["Eilat", "Israel"]}