SALEM TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Metro Detroit restaurant that’s been a staple for generations came close to the brink after a devastating fire, but now something special is happening.
Last month, one of Metro Detroit’s oldest restaurants, Karl’s Cabin, burned. It’s nothing short of a miracle it didn’t burn to the ground considering it is nearly 100 years old and is a log cabin with dozens of layers of varnish.
As flames heated propane tanks, everyone -- staff and customers -- calmly evacuated. Server Mandy Morgan always thought Karl’s a special place.
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“We lost a lot that night. This is home for us, you know, the Poulos family, our Karl’s family, it’s heartbreaking,” server Mandy Morgan said.
Heroic firefighting saved the popular place, but the flames forced it to close. Wait staff lost their jobs.
Still, the owners felt they had one play to make: pay their 90 staffers what they could, many up to 50%.
And while it’s not so unusual for employees to pitch in and help keep a business going after a fire, most everyone rolled up their sleeves, volunteering to carry the restaurant’s contents to storage containers and help clean things up.
Then something else special happened: They started a bowling league. Co-owner Peter Poulos said that 70 people now meet once a week.
“Have a chance to just catch up and chat and not talk about the fire, just see how everyone’s doing. That’s when I get to experience that holy cow moment,” Peter Poulos said.
Server Matt Alfera was in the restaurant when the fire broke out. “To get that supplemental income definitely, it’s a verbal commitment to come back, and I think from everyone I spoke with, everyone plans to.”
Work is being done to try and restore the restaurant. The owners said they hope to reopen sometime this summer.
Head chef Kevin Hamilton said they fully intend to keep the Karl’s Kitchen favorites when they reopen, but he’s using the downtime to come up with some new and fresh offerings to celebrate.
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