John Boy's Restaurant faces months-long closure after devastating fire

ALPENA, Mich. (WBKB) — A beloved local restaurant on Chisholm Street faces a lengthy road to recovery after a devastating fire left extensive damage throughout the interior of John Boy's Restaurant.

ServiceMaster restoration crews are currently working to restore the landmark eatery, with operations manager Chris Loesch leading the effort. The restoration team is gutting the interior, removing items lost to fire contamination and repairing damaged walls.

"We're hard at work gutting the interior—throwing out items lost to fire contamination and filling in damaged walls," Loesch said. "A major focus is also being placed on ridding the building of the persistent smell of smoke."

While the building's shell remains intact, the damage inside is extensive. The restoration process will require significant time and resources to return the restaurant to operating condition.

Loesch said John Boy's is expected to remain closed for another six to eight months while the restoration process continues.

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