Monica Schut (left, holding children’s toys) evacuates the east portion of Frank’s Restaurant, followed by a restaurant employee, after a grease fire Saturday night at the iconic downtown restaurant.
Kathy Schut leaves the east portion of Frank’s Restaurant as a firefighter holds open the door.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Monica Schut, her husband Kyle and their two children met up with her in-laws Saturday night at Frank’s Restaurant for dinner.
Schut’s 5-year-old son, Tanner, had just gotten a grilled cheese sandwich, and Schut went to take her 6-month-old into the bathroom for a diaper change.
“On my way into the bathroom I saw the cook on the phone with the fire department, saying there is a grease fire and giving the address,” Schut wrote in a message to the Zeeland Record. “Another worker came out of the kitchen saying everyone needs to evacuate.”
Schut ran back to the table where her family was. “(I) told my husband, ‘grab the car seat, we need to get out of here, there’s a fire,’” she wrote.
The Schuts were among about 50 customers in the Frank’s East portion of the iconic downtown restaurant at 134/136 E. Main Ave. that were forced to evacuate because of a grease fire that started in one of the grills in the main portion of Frank’s. Everyone inside got out safely.
“Frank’s is still Frank’s,” owner Teresa Vander Zwaag said in an interview shortly after firefighters left the scene Saturday night. “We are going to have some repairs to make. We’ve got insurance and we’ll figure that all out.”
Frank’s East reopened at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon with a limited menu, while cleanup in the main portion of the restaurant continued. It was not known at press time when the main section of Frank’s will reopen.
The fire was reported at 5:36 p.m. The first firefighters arrived at Frank’s two minutes after the call came in. “They were on it right away,” general manager Ashleh Sosa said.
Firefighters from Holland Township Station 3, whose station is just west of the city limits on Chicago Drive, were the first to reach the scene. They had just cleared a call of their own when the fire was reported.
“They were able to make a quick response and get on scene quickly,” Zeeland Fire Chief Brad Deppe said.
City firefighters arrived moments later. Olive Township firefighters also assisted at the scene, while Zeeland Township Fire remained on standby just in case additional support was needed, Deppe said.
While the fire originated in the main portion of Frank’s, smoke quickly spread to the Frank’s East section.
Payton Michael Ott was with a group of friends from Zeeland East High School that had gone to Frank’s for dinner before going to their prom.
“We had just ordered when one of the employees came out the back and told us there was a fire,” Ott said. “No one really moved. Everyone just stared at his attempts to evacuate us. No one really made an effort until the fire alarm went off and we saw smoke coming out the kitchen door.”
Firefighters worked quickly at the scene. Within an hour, the fire was reported under control. In their work, they found a second smaller fire downstairs, Deppe said.
“Kitchens have ventilation systems for their fryers and cooking areas. In this particular one, it was a downdraft system, so it pulls it down into the basement and then it pipes it outside from there. The piping in the ventilation underneath had failed due to the heat, which caused a little bit of a fire in the basement,” Deppe said.
Firefighters cleared the scene about 8 p.m. While no official dollar amount on damage has been determined, Deppe expressed hope that the artifacts depicting Zeeland’s history that adorn the walls of the original portion of Frank’s will be preserved.
“I think anything they had in there can probably be cleaned and salvaged,” he said.
Frank’s opened in 1924, as Frank Sr. and Mary Dionise, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, opened what was then called the Dionise Confectionary, and then later became known as Frank’s. In the beginning, the business sold oranges, grapefruit, grapes and bananas. Frank later started making his own ice cream, roasting peanuts, dipping chocolates and selling cigars, according to the restaurant’s website.
The Dionise family owned Frank’s for several generations. The restaurant is currently owned by Teresa and Tim Vander Zwaag, who also own The Farmhouse restaurant on the city’s west side.
Zeeland Record
Monica Schut, her husband Kyle and their two children met up with her in-laws Saturday night at Frank’s Restaurant for dinner.
Schut’s 5-year-old son, Tanner, had just gotten a grilled cheese sandwich, and Schut went to take her 6-month-old into the bathroom for a diaper change.
“On my way into the bathroom I saw the cook on the phone with the fire department, saying there is a grease fire and giving the address,” Schut wrote in a message to the Zeeland Record. “Another worker came out of the kitchen saying everyone needs to evacuate.”
Schut ran back to the table where her family was. “(I) told my husband, ‘grab the car seat, we need to get out of here, there’s a fire,’” she wrote.
The Schuts were among about 50 customers in the Frank’s East portion of the iconic downtown restaurant at 134/136 E. Main Ave. that were forced to evacuate because of a grease fire that started in one of the grills in the main portion of Frank’s. Everyone inside got out safely.
“Frank’s is still Frank’s,” owner Teresa Vander Zwaag said in an interview shortly after firefighters left the scene Saturday night. “We are going to have some repairs to make. We’ve got insurance and we’ll figure that all out.”
Frank’s East reopened at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon with a limited menu, while cleanup in the main portion of the restaurant continued. It was not known at press time when the main section of Frank’s will reopen.
The fire was reported at 5:36 p.m. The first firefighters arrived at Frank’s two minutes after the call came in. “They were on it right away,” general manager Ashleh Sosa said.
Firefighters from Holland Township Station 3, whose station is just west of the city limits on Chicago Drive, were the first to reach the scene. They had just cleared a call of their own when the fire was reported.
“They were able to make a quick response and get on scene quickly,” Zeeland Fire Chief Brad Deppe said.
City firefighters arrived moments later. Olive Township firefighters also assisted at the scene, while Zeeland Township Fire remained on standby just in case additional support was needed, Deppe said.
While the fire originated in the main portion of Frank’s, smoke quickly spread to the Frank’s East section.
Payton Michael Ott was with a group of friends from Zeeland East High School that had gone to Frank’s for dinner before going to their prom.
“We had just ordered when one of the employees came out the back and told us there was a fire,” Ott said. “No one really moved. Everyone just stared at his attempts to evacuate us. No one really made an effort until the fire alarm went off and we saw smoke coming out the kitchen door.”
Firefighters worked quickly at the scene. Within an hour, the fire was reported under control. In their work, they found a second smaller fire downstairs, Deppe said.
“Kitchens have ventilation systems for their fryers and cooking areas. In this particular one, it was a downdraft system, so it pulls it down into the basement and then it pipes it outside from there. The piping in the ventilation underneath had failed due to the heat, which caused a little bit of a fire in the basement,” Deppe said.
Firefighters cleared the scene about 8 p.m. While no official dollar amount on damage has been determined, Deppe expressed hope that the artifacts depicting Zeeland’s history that adorn the walls of the original portion of Frank’s will be preserved.
“I think anything they had in there can probably be cleaned and salvaged,” he said.
Frank’s opened in 1924, as Frank Sr. and Mary Dionise, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, opened what was then called the Dionise Confectionary, and then later became known as Frank’s. In the beginning, the business sold oranges, grapefruit, grapes and bananas. Frank later started making his own ice cream, roasting peanuts, dipping chocolates and selling cigars, according to the restaurant’s website.
The Dionise family owned Frank’s for several generations. The restaurant is currently owned by Teresa and Tim Vander Zwaag, who also own The Farmhouse restaurant on the city’s west side.
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