'We'll be back': Historic Orlando diner rebuilding after fire

College Park Cafe looks to rebuild after fire

The community is coming together to help offer support for the College Park Cafe, which recently had to close after a fire broke out in its kitchen.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A historic diner in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood had a fire break out in its kitchen on Christmas Eve, temporarily shutting it down.

Flames started growing inside College Park Café's kitchen on Christmas Eve morning while the cafe was open for business. Employees rushed to call 911.

"They said, 'Hey, get out, Get out for safety. Don't even worry about what's back there.' So, I dropped everything and ran," said Tiffany Vanderbilt, an employee at College Park Café.

Since the fire destroyed the kitchen, College Park Café has to close for the next two weeks as they work on the renovations. The co-owner Joey Eckenfels says this is very difficult for them, as a small business, but the kind words of support from the community have been helping them through this tough time.

"It is tough. Owning a small business is challenging in general," said Eckenfels. "This is the biggest thing we've faced, but they always remind us that you'll be back, and we'll be back."

College Park Café is one of the oldest restaurants in Orlando, as it’s been around since the 1950s. While it’s heartbreaking the kitchen was destroyed, Eckenfels says he is grateful this Christmas that the rest of the dining area was not damaged.

"I'm very grateful. There is definitely a sense of relief in knowing that it could have been a lot worse," he said. "We actually have the bare bones right now. We still have a place for people to come and be comfortable and eat. We just have to figure out a solution to get the food from there to their table."

A donation page has been set up to help with costs and pay the employees here because they’ll be off for the next two weeks.

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