Patrons remember Sharpsburg restaurant damaged in fire

"(I feel) like a sickness in my stomach. I just felt like a part of me had been lost," said Tommy Lancaster, a customer for the past 15 years. 

Fire crews were called to the scene around 5:15 p.m. Sunday and took about 45 minutes to extinguish the fire. Four different fire departments responded, authorities said.

The restaurant is closed on Sundays, so no one was inside. No injuries were reported.

Wanda Glover, daughter of owner Faye Logan, rushed to the scene. 

"It was heartbreaking, a sick feeling in your stomach," Glover said. 

Authorities were still trying to determine what sparked the fire, but investigators believe the blaze might have started outside. The State Bureau of Investigation has been called in to find the cause. 

For locals, the restaurant was a meeting place to swap stories.

"Everybody here knows everybody. It's just very family-oriented. More than a restaurant," Glover said.

With the restaurant considered a total loss, the 12 employees there are out of work. 

"A couple of us are single parents. We have children in college, and it's gonna be a struggle to figure out what to do," employee Stephanie Logan said. 

Glover said the family is unsure about the restaurant's future. Logan, who has owned the business for the past 21 years, has talked about selling the restaurant in the past.

"For it to end like this for her is just very, very sad," Glover said. 

Lancaster said he hopes the family decides to rebuild. 

"I'll follow her anywhere she goes," he said. "I think I speak for a lot of people."