KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A popular restaurant in downtown Kalamazoo is reopening its doors after a 9-week hiatus.
A fire forced the abrupt closure of Food Dance in September, but the restaurant was packed Thursday for their grand reopening party.
Owner Julie Stanley said the fire was her worst nightmare. The flames were contained to the duct system, but filled the building with smoke. She says it was caused by the duct not being cleaned properly by an outside company.
They’ve spent the last 9 weeks cleaning and rehabbing the place, and now they’re reopening to the public. Thursday they were doing food prep and putting the final touches on the fireplace.
Stanley says she couldn’t be happier and couldn’t have done it without community support.
“It was just so heartfelt and it was amazing,” she said. “From the restaurants that reached out to us, took our staff, took our catering business, and that jumped right in and took care of people.”
Stanley says she believes the estimated cost in damages was close to $1 million. The reopening party goes until 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets at the door are $25. The restaurant opens Friday at 7 a.m.
