COLLEGE PARK, Fla. – The restaurant formerly known as College Park Cafe welcomed back customers Saturday morning after a fire broke out on Christmas Eve.
The owners of College Park Cafe were faced with a tough decision after the fire.
Initially, the owners thought the fire was a sign to let the restaurant go, but after an outpouring of support, they decided to keep it going.
In just a matter of weeks, the restaurant is celebrating a new beginning while paying tribute to its roots.
The owners are now taking the restaurant back to its old name — College Park Diner.
“To take it back to its original name, that we’re aware of, as a diner which is truly what it is, I think it’s going to help draw additional attention to it,” said College Park Diner Co-Owner Joey Eckenfels. “Just to do something nostalgic like that while we were in the process of cleaning it up to take it back to the beginning was really special.”
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The Christmas Eve fire left the future of the College Park Diner hanging in the balance.
But after repairs to the kitchen and some cosmetic upgrades, the restaurant welcomed back its regulars on Saturday.
“I was surprised to see people waiting in their cars at 6:45 this morning,” Eckenfels said. “Some of the people who were here the morning of the fire are actually in here now so it’s refreshing and encouraging.”
Eckenfels said the diner has become such an important part of his life.
“I try to explain it to people and they don’t fully understand because it because it’s not necessarily relatable,” Eckenfels said. “But we have a unique environment where everyone knows everyone’s names, we talk to our guests outside of here, it’s just really comfortable and i’m so happy to be back.”
Jonathan Matthews has been coming to the restaurant for 10 years. He said he didn’t know about the fire until he came in on Saturday.
“I was just devastated,” Matthews said. “I couldn’t believe something like this could happen and I’m glad to see that everyone’s in, you know, good spirits, and the restaurant’s open and just moving on because it’s been in the community.”
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