Fundraiser established to help employees, tenant
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
A fire broke out at Double D’s Pub and Eatery in the Town of East Troy in the early morning hours of Nov. 26, heavily damaging the building and closing the restaurant.
East Troy Fire Chief Joe Degaro said there were no injuries and the tenant that lived in the building was home during the fire and evacuated safely.
“The call came in around 12:28 a.m. on Nov. 26,” Degaro said. “Approximately 10 area departments responded, including East Troy, Mukwonago, Troy Center, Rochester, Elkhorn, Vernon and the Town of Delavan.”
The fire is still in the investigation stage, Degaro said, adding that more information would be available at a later date.
Owners of the pub, Darren and Amy Michalak, have opened a GoFundMe page to help the employees and building tenant who have been affected by the fire and restaurant closing.
“We’re a family and we just feel so bad for everyone and we’re trying to help out as much as we can,” Amy Michalak said. “It’s right before the holidays and our tenant, who we’re extremely grateful she’s OK, has lost almost everything. More from smoke damage than the actual fire. She didn’t have renter’s insurance so she needs help replacing it all.”
Amy Michalak added that she hopes the GoFundMe raised enough money to give the employees a bit of breathing room while they are out of work.
“They need some help until they can find another job and to get them through the holidays,” Amy Michalak said. “Everyone in the community has been so supportive, just wonderful. It’s been very touching, they’ve been reaching out and asking what they can do. Right now, there’s not much else people can help with, but they can help us take care of our (restaurant) family with this fundraiser.”
The Michalaks are getting the word out through social media and posted this on the restaurant’s Facebook page:
“Dear Friends and Family: As most of you have now heard, Double D’s suffered a devastating fire on Thanksgiving night. We are extremely thankful to report no one was hurt! However, one of our tenants is now displaced and has lost most, if not all of her belongings, and our loyal employees are out of work right before the holidays.
“So many of you have reached out to ask how you can help. As the Double D’s family navigates through these waters, we ask that you consider helping our employees and tenant. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist them, and all the funds raised will go directly to helping them out through these times. Thank you to Kelly, Tracy, Tammy, and all their posse for helping to set this up! You guys are awesome!”
As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe page had raised nearly $4,000 for the tenant and employees.
“These funds will strictly be used to help employees with bills and the tenant with bills and to replace lost items,” the GoFundMe page states. “Any sort of help for these families is greatly appreciated.”
On the restaurant’s Facebook page, the Michalak family expressed gratitude for the community support they have received and said they will reopen the restaurant.
“Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone for your well wishes and prayers. We LOVE our loyal customers, friends and family who are supporting us through this! We WILL get through this, and we plan on being back, bigger and better than ever!! Stay tuned to our FB page for updates, as we will keep you all up to date on our progress. Until we can reopen, stay tuned, and keep our DD family in your thoughts and prayers. WE’LL BE BACK! We love you all,” the Facebook post reads.
To donate, go to www.gofundme.com and search for Double D’s.
