After an overnight fire destroyed Francesco's Ristorante Italiano in Mishawaka on Monday, friends of the restaurant's owner family reacted to the business's loss.
Francesco's has hosted celebrities and sports teams, everyone from Mohammed Ali to Jerry Lewis. It's also been the site of first dates and post Notre Dame game celebrations.
Family friend Pat McKelvey said Francesco's was more than just a building. As crews scraped away debris from the fire, McKelvey stood back, wondering how the owner's family could possibly recover from something like this.
"I'm just devastated. I look at it, and I just think, where do you go?" said McKelvey.
The overnight fire, which took crews four hours to put out, destroyed most of the restaurant. Pat McKelvey from Mishawaka came in person to see the damage. He's known the owner's family for years.
"These are really good friends of mine. This is their whole life. You know, they put their entire life into this restaurant," said McKelvey.
McKelvey said owner Francesco Catanzarite came from Italy and followed his dream by opening his own restaurant.
That restaurant is now blocked off with tape, glass shattered, pots overturned, everything inside burned.
"People that frequent the place, that like to eat here, they don't have another place to go. It's a significant loss to the city as a whole and the community," said George Schafer, Mishawaka Fire Marshall.
"It's more than a building, it's more than a restaurant. It's a whole family's life that's gone now," said McKelvey.
People drove by the restaurant looking, stunned at the damage. The restaurant has been around since Mishawaka resident James Weesner was a child.
"Neighborhood's gonna miss it, I think. At least, I will," said Weesner.
McKelvey took pictures of the restaurant, trying to preserve some of the memories he believes are lost: "Birthdays, gatherings, weddings, rehearsal dinners..."
All he can do now is stand by the owner's family and support them through this difficult time.
"I got tears in my heart, not just in my eyes," said McKelvey.
McKelvey said the owner and his wife are near retirement age, making it especially difficult for them to recover from such a loss.
