CLEVELAND — Tuesday marks one week since a fire forced The Red Chimney restaurant to temporarily close its doors.
According to Cleveland Ward 12 Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer, the building sustained damage from an upstairs fire that caused water damage inside the restaurant.
RELATED: 'I am devastated': Red Chimney restaurant in Cleveland closed for foreseeable future due to fire
“To lose The Red Chimney, one of the only functional businesses on the street, is just devastating,” said Maurer.
The restaurant has been around for 26 years, and the owners, Pete and Lou, have been deeply touched by the visits and kind words from the community.
“People have been telling us they love us, so thank you to all our neighbors from the west, south and east. We love everybody,” said Pete.
“It’s a great place where people in the neighborhood could come and visit, so we will support them anyway we can,” said Slavic Village Resident William Wochele.
It’s also a place where most people already know what they are going to order before they walk in.
“I know my order by heart, they know my breakfast order by heart and so does everyone in this neighborhood,” said Maurer.
Just a few weeks ago, The Red Chimney made its movie debut, appearing in a scene of the new Superman movie that was partially filmed in Cleveland.
“It was special for us, and people were coming from all over to eat here and take pictures,” said Pete.
The fire not only closed the popular restaurant, but left people displaced from their homes and 17 employees jobless.
"We had folks who have been displaced, we have servers, cooks and busboys who are out of work right now. So, making sure that they're taken care of is our top priority," said Maurer.
Wanting to help, a community member set up a GoFundMe in hopes of helping the victims and bringing the restaurant back to its former glory. Click here for more information.
“What we've seen is the whole community come together, there's not a single person who I’ve talked to about this who hasn't said where can I pitch in? and what can I do to help? “said Maurer.
Officials say the cause of the fire has not been determined and is still under investigation.
