Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant

Subject: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From: wilco
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 06:18 PM

In the realm of inspiring stories, her's a great one. Last July. a friend's small, neighborhood restaurant burned down here in Tennessee. 25K insurance on a 300K loss. The owner leased the building and equipment, and it was a total loss. Many homeless people were fed there free. Various mentally disabled people, physically disabled, and elderly people ate there, and the restaurant fixed their special diets, cut the meats up for them ,etc. It was more of a social welfare agency, than happened to be a in restaurant. The customers found an old, long-vacant building. The customers missed it so much that they rebuild it. Almost all of the equipment was donated (used), and it was probably worth about 150K. It was almost all very used, coming out of demolished buildings. The customers volunteered to do all of the work, like gutting the building, HVAC work, painting, erecting walls, sheet-rocking, laying tile, plumbing, cabinet making, decorating, electrical work, etc. The restaurant opened last Saturday. A restaurant built by love. The story can probably be found at the web sites of Chattanooga Times-Free press or WDSI/FOX television, or NBC/WRCB TV. The restaurant is called the Orange Hut. Owner is Annette Palmer.

Subject: RE: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From:
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 06:21 PM

Inspiring.

Now there's something someone should write a song about it.

Subject: RE: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From: GUEST,Sorcha
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 07:06 PM

How neat. If I were there, I would help.

Subject: RE: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From: catspaw49
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 09:14 PM

Oh wow.....I had no idea......Is this the same Annette who worked there 20 years ago? I used to eat there for breakfast on a lot of days before making calls. I'd have a bite there, stop in at Killibrew's Texaco and bullshit Ivan for awhile and I'd be ready for another day. If you are in there, find out if that is the same Annette and tell them that an old customer is happy they have rebuilt. Not that they'd remember me or anything, just one of those places I had a fondness for...

Spaw

Subject: RE: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From: momnopp
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 10:42 PM

Obit for original owner

Fire in July

Well, I have to go to bed -- I was very interested to try and learn more about this story, but I can't find anything current on it. The above links are about the original owner dying, and then about the fire this past summer.

Thanks for sharing the story, though!

JudyO

Subject: RE: Customers rebuild Tennessee restaurant
From: wilco
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 01:58 PM

It is the same Annette as 25 years ago.
George Seto suggested a song. My take is to weave two ideas together. The first is the restaurant being rebuilt by its former patrons, which is lovely. The second would be a more personal line about a 60+ year-old, menatlly disabled man who eats there in excahnge for mopping floors and putting out the garbage. He is very poor, and struggles to get by. Lots of people in the community and the restaurant help him. Everyone calls him Elvis, because he wears these spangled, rhinestone jumpsuits like Elvis Presley. At times, he really believes that he is Elvis. He doesn't drive, and he walks everywhere in those outfits. Kids tease him, and they laugh at him. But, at that restaurant, he has a little bit of dignity, mopping the floor in his Elvis outfit. Help me out here with a song!!!