EMORY, Texas — A beloved family-owned diner in Emory, Sidekick's Restaurant, caught fire last Friday during their dinner rush hour.
"It was just very chaotic the whole night," said Kalli Gaddis, a waitress at the restaurant.
After battling the flames and rains over the weekend, the building still stands but with major damage.
"I'm very upset," said Danielle Patton, the manager of Sidekick's Restaurant. "These 12 years have been a legacy of my family's life, and my employees just lost their jobs."
Patton said her kitchen crew informed her that something was wrong. After checking out what they were talking about she noticed what looked like a busted pipe leaking water into the fryers.
"Within minutes smoke filled the kitchen, you walked outside, you looked up and it was fire," Patton said. "It's everybody get out now, get out!"
The fire left the entire staff out of a job, and with Christmas around the corner they'll have to find a new source of income.
"I have a 2-year-old so I'm going to have to look for another job," Gaddis said. "I've applied to some places trying to get some interviews, and hopefully I can get one before Christmas time so I can buy her Christmas presents."
For some employees it’s more than a loss of employment, but a loss of seeing each other everyday at work.
"I'm probably was the least longest working person in here, but it was still six months of my life," said Isabelle Gilbert, a cook at the restaurant. "I'm sad to see that it's gone."
Every employee used the word family to describe Sidekick's Restaurant, even the customers who took initiative and started a GoFundMe page for those impacted.
"If you can do anything for these families, a nickel, a dime, it all adds up," said Linda DeVore, a regular customer of the restaurant. "They're the ones that are having a life changing event in (their) young lives."
An official cause of fire has yet to be determined.
If you want to help these employees get through this tough time during the holiday season, you can donate to their GoFundMe page.