Small town, greasy spoon. I would really be surprised if the fire suppression and cleaning were up-to-date or ever even checked by the fire marshall.
I'm not saying you're wrong, Pat. I'm just saying that there is a small fire on the stove of about 90% of restaurants every single day. A little flare up while sauteing.
I doubt this would resonate with any of my potential customers...
Now, if the FM and FD declare it was due to a greasy exhaust/lack of fire suppression, I can go with that. But, it would have to say that the insurance company refused to pay due to neglect. That article comes occasionally, and can be persuasive!
Restaurants think they're insured and are willing to take the risk. Insurance companies have a clause to deny coverage for such neglect, but keep it close to their chest. Restaurants pay premiums for critical coverage they have made themselves ineligible for, and insurance collects premiums for a coverage, of extreme risk, they have almost no risk for...
When a place burns down, insurance doesn't pay, restaurant is embarrassed to admit they had let things get so bad (who would eat at their next place?), and things go away very quietly.
I've had conversations with some very large restaurants that say they were told by corporate to hire a hack as long as they had enough insurance. The restaurant then maintains a relationship with the insurance more so than the cleaner/suppression company. They don't care if the job is done poorly, as long as they have assurance that blame can be placed and claims can be paid.
Not my favorite business plan/model but it appears to make money for some!