A kitchen fire over the weekend has forced a popular Clinton Township restaurant to close.
The fire at Ken's Country Kitchen in the Amore Plaza shopping centre on Hayes Road was reported just after 3pm on Sunday, shortly after employees had finished work for the day and left the building, the owner said.
Zeff Kamai, co-owner of the restaurant with Alex Jeraj, said the kitchen was thoroughly cleaned before employees left. Kamai suspects one of the employees accidentally knocked over the pilot light on the grill, which ultimately caused the fire.
“We actually just recently finished renovating the building, giving it a completely new look,” Kamai says. “It couldn't have been better.”
The Clinton Township Fire Department manager was not available for comment Monday because it was a holiday.
Kamai said the restaurant was known for its breakfast menu, and Ken's Country Kitchen was a consistent winner of the Macomb Daily's annual readers' choice contest, as well as similar contests by the Detroit Free Press and WDIV-TV (Channel 4).
“Luckily, no one was in the building when the accident happened so no one was injured and we are happy about that,” Kamai added.
Ken's Country Kitchen originally opened in Clinton Township in the 1990s, and in recent years the partners decided to expand into the northern part of the county, opening a location on Main Street just north of Division Road (32 Mile Road) in Richmond.
The owners say they plan to offer some of their 20 employees to work at the Richmond location until the Clinton Township store reopens.
When that will be is obviously unclear at this time, and restaurants will need to negotiate with their insurance companies regarding damages and related details before they can plan repairs to their premises.
“Hello everyone! We will be closed until further notice,” the owners posted on their Facebook page. “We will let you know more details as soon as we have them.”
Kamai also encourages his Clinton Township customers to make the drive to Richmond to enjoy their favorite home-cooked meals.
“I can tell you this: We will reopen and we will be better than ever when we do,” he said.
