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3 Musume restaurant workers among injured in Fort Worth hotel explosion; chef escaped

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Full Coverage: Fort Worth Hotel Explosion

Find the latest stories on the Sandman hotel explosion in downtown Fort Worth.

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Three workers at Musume restaurant were among those hospitalized in stable condition with injuries from the explosion Monday in the Sandman Signature Hotel, according to a spokesperson for restaurant co-owner Josh Babb.

Musume was closed during the mid-afternoon explosion and no customers were in the restaurant, Babb said.

The restaurant is in the lobby bar and lower-level old bank vault of the 103-year-old W.T. Waggoner Building, 810 Houston St., a 20-story skyscraper that until 1957 was home to the old Continental National Bank.

Chef Yuzo Toyama, a product of Shizuoka, Japan, was among those employees in the restaurant during the explosion. He was not injured, Babb said.

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Veteran sushi chef Yuzo Toyama will lead Musume in the Sandman hotel.
Veteran sushi chef Yuzo Toyama will lead Musume in the Sandman hotel. instagram.com/musumefortworth

Thompson’s Bookstore, a cocktail lounge across West Eighth Street at 900 Houston St,, announced that the bar will be closed until further notice. The street outside Thompson’s, which underwent a $4 million renovation last year, was littered with debris.

Musume opened June 26. The flashy Asian restaurant’s first location is at 2330 Flora St., Dallas, in the Dallas Arts District.

Musume — “muh-suh-may” — is Japanese for “daughter.”

The Sandman Signature Hotel opened March 31. It is the second Sandman Signature hotel in the U.S., following one in Plano.

The brand is part of Vancouver-based Northland Properties, which is Canada’s largest privately owned hospitality company with hotels and resorts across Canada and, more recently, in the U.K. The company’s president, Tom Gaglardi, has owned the NHL Dallas Stars hockey club since 2011. He also owns the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

The Sandman hotel is in the W.T. Waggoner Building skyscraper in downtown Fort Worth June 26, 2023.
The Sandman hotel is in the W.T. Waggoner Building skyscraper in downtown Fort Worth June 26, 2023. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com

This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 6:45 PM.

Bud Kennedy’s Eats Beat
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat. Support my work with a digital subscription
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Full Coverage: Fort Worth Hotel Explosion

Find the latest stories on the Sandman hotel explosion in downtown Fort Worth.