Don’t blame Amy & Jason Variell if they liken their past nine months to the trials and tribulations often associated with child birth. It has been just over nine months now since they watched in horror as thick black smoke billowed uncontrollably from the peak of the A-frame of their uniquely-shaped landmark business in the Southtown neighborhood of St. Joseph on a windy Tuesday night. Fire struck their popular Chicken Coop Restaurant on Washington Avenue across from Burger King that night sending hundreds of comments cascading through social media.
The immediate fear was that the iconic building had been destroyed for good, but while that quickly proved not to be the case, nevertheless, the damage was extensive because it got into the mechanical systems and the structure has undergone a tremendous amount of rebuilding and rehabilitation ever since.
Unlike a nine month maternity-watch where the eager parents lay in lots of baby clothes, furniture and accessories, the Variells have been lining up all sorts of new equipment and more importantly working on bringing the 1960s era-building up to proper codes to meet modern day building and safety standards before re-opening.
The good news for those who have been waiting patiently for their fried chicken and fish fix, the restaurant is slated to open on Thursday or Friday of this week. Amy tells me that they are putting on the last minute finishing touches and, other than that, the only thing left to accomplish is gain final clearance from the various code inspections that are currently underway.
She says, “We’re just ready for everything to be back up and running again!”
Brisk winds on the night of January 10th threatened to make the damage far worse than it ended up being, but because the fire impacted the ventilation system and compromised the integrity of the roof, the reconstruction process was considerably more protracted than had first been anticipated.
However, Jason & Amy didn’t just sit around twiddling their thumbs waiting for contractors to get them back into business again, they took ownership of The Chicken Coop property on M-139 in Benton Harbor in early April and have turned that restaurant’s reputation around considerably in the interim, making it a shining star once again.
The Variells have owned the St. Joe Chicken Coop for more than a dozen years, dating back to 2005. While the reconstruction hit a few snags along the way, the renovation has been extensive and the entire team is eager to get the fryers back up and running and get folks rolling back through the door situated in the center of the bright red roof line to enjoy their favorite meals.
Look for the “now open” sign to be light once again this Thursday or Friday, September 28th or 29th barring any unforeseen hiccups in the finishing stages.
