GRAFTON, Illinois — A popular Grafton bar and restaurant will be closed for repairs starting Tuesday after a fire damaged its kitchen.
The fire ignited inside The Loading Dock’s kitchen Monday morning.
The team, determined not to close during the busy Labor Day holiday, grilled food for customers outside even though the kitchen was out of commission.
"I'm not an emotional guy, but certainly it can make you emotional," owner Peter Allen said. "It's traumatic."
The restaurant reopened just eight weeks ago, after a summer of flooding forced it to close for three months.
“We'll laugh about it someday. We get through the flood, the fire,” Allen said.
It’s that spirit that resonates with employees.
"It makes me really proud to work here. I love this job. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else,” Matilda Darr said.
There's no date yet for when the restaurant will reopen.
No one was hurt in the fire. Investigators are still working to find out what caused it.
