ZEELAND — It’s been nearly two years since a devastating fire destroyed one of Zeeland's most iconic restaurants.
In the months since, Community Restaurant has been rebuilt from the ground up. It'll host a grand opening at 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8.
More: Community Restaurant in Zeeland 'a total loss' after devastating fire
The restaurant served customers last week during a soft opening, testing operations and giving servers and kitchen staff a chance to get their feet wet.
Here's a timeline of how we got here:
1983
According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Community Restaurant — 421 E. Main Ave. — is incorporated by Jeffrey Koert.
1990s
The restaurant is purchased by Lyle Van Klompenberg. Though it changes hands over the years, it remains in the family.
2020
Lyle’s son, Korde, purchases the business with longtime employee Barry Elzinga.
April 12, 2022
Zeeland Fire Chief Ross Tibbets arrives at the restaurant to find an active, working fire.
"Upon my arrival, we already had fire through the roof and, by looking through some of the windows, a fair amount of fire throughout the building," Tibbets said.
April 13, 2022
Firefighters fight the blaze into the early morning hours, knocking out the main fire before taking on tedious hotspots and embers.
The business announces around 4 a.m.
“To our friends, coworkers, family, customers, we are devastated to inform you that Community Restaurant had a fire tonight and the building is a total loss.”
December 2022
Elzinga appears before the Zeeland Planning Commission and Zeeland City Council, now the sole owner, at least three times to obtain approvals to rebuild, which are granted.
March 2023
“The rebuild is on for Community Restaurant,” Elzinga announces. “We have been working on it for almost eleven months since the fire. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome and I am happy to announce that we are moving forward.”
May 31, 2023
Fourteen months after the fire, employees, family members and community leaders gather for the groundbreaking event.
“I’ll be honest, there were times where I began to question whether this was actually going to happen and if I was going to be able to pull this off,” Elzinga said. “Just getting to this point today, where the ground has been broken and there are people working, it's just an amazing feeling.”
September 2023
Construction is well underway and on-track for a 2024 opening.
“You go from the emotions of the fire to dreaming that we could rebuild to visualizing it and then seeing it become a reality right in front of us,” Elzinga said.