ROCKFORD, Mich. – Just over one year after a fire ravaged the Corner Bar destroying all but the building’s facade, the Rockford staple reopened Saturday, draping downtown Rockford in nostalgia.
The restaurant, known for its “Hot Dog Hall of Fame” wall, welcomed a line of customers extending well-down N Main Street at 11 a.m. The first customer, Judy McFadden, got in line at 8:45 a.m.
“I've been coming here for 50 years,” McFadden said. “I've been a year without a hot dog and I wanted one."
Crews from Orion Construction demolished most of the Corner Bar building last November. Sarah Wolfe, co-owner of the restaurant, said planning for the rebuild started immediately.
“We knew right away that we'd be back,” Wolfe said. “We knew we wanted to rebuild, but you never really know what it's going to look like. Today is the culmination of a whole year of work for us…this is the light at the end of the tunnel."
The day of the fire was one of tears and disbelief, said manager Emma Boehms.
“It took a couple of weeks to bounce back from that,” Boehms said. “But being here watching the progress, from the digging and excavation to the walls going back up and being able to be inside for the last several weeks watching the finishing touches put together – it’s great.”
Many customers said despite the restaurant’s new look, the food and feeling are just like the old Corner Bar. One patron, Andrew Wolthuis, became the first customer to complete the Hall of Fame platter challenge at the revamped restaurant, eating 12 chili dogs in around 20 minutes.
The kitchen went through around 300 hot dogs in the first half-hour of the opening, said co-owner Jeff Wolfe. Customers also lined up at the new takeout window, located at the north end of the building.
“We're a day at a time right now,” Sarah said. “We are super excited to see the community back out and waiting to come back in. We're just excited to be back."
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