CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – On any given night, Roger’s Roost and WiseGuys Bar & Grill are fierce competitors.
But after learning of a massive fire that devastated WiseGuys, a restaurant in Clinton Township, staffers in Sterling Heights knew they had to help.
“Well, they’re competition, that’s ... the business, but we’re all human beings here,” said William Funke, of Roger’s Roost.
A Christmas “ugly sweater party” on Sunday quickly turned into a fundraiser benefiting WiseGuys.
Roger’s Roost hoped to raise about $2,000 for WiseGuys. Almost 50 families were affected, and the bar remains closed for the immediate future.
It only made sense for the community to band together, especially considering the holidays are quickly approaching.
“One day you have a job, and the next day you don’t have a job,” Funke said.
Typically, Sundays at Roger’s Roost are known as “industry nights,” on which service workers get half off their bill. On this particular Sunday, many people were willing to pay full price -- and donate what they would have saved to WiseGuys.
“I can only imagine what he’s going through -- no job, place is burned (and you have to put) family first,” said Jack Lingenfelter, who is among those donating to WiseGuys.
Lingenfelter said he wants to go even further to help the families affected, who are unsure of what will come next.
“Life will get better,” Lingenfelter said. “And you got people like us who got your back."
Around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, investigators believe, a fire started in the attic of WiseGuys, and it spread quickly. There was heavy fire, smoke and water damage.
Firefighters from Clinton Township, Sterling Heights and Harrison Township all responded to the family owned business at 42305 Garfield Road. The damage spread to a tailor shop, hair salon and barbershop.
Crews cannot access the building’s attic at this time because they fear the building may collapse.
"It looks accidental until proven otherwise," said Chief Stewart McIntosh, of the Clinton Township Fire Department.
No one was in the building during the fire. Employees are in the process of determining if some of them can pick up shifts at a second location while payroll and schedules are figured out.
Until then, perhaps it helps to know how much the “neighbors” really care.
“We’re all kind of family,” Funke said. “They visit us (and) we visit them. To help in any little way is good.”
Several WiseGuys employees were at Roger's Roost on Sunday and they didn’t want to talk on camera. Still, they said, they are beyond grateful and appreciative of the outpouring of community support.
Future fundraising efforts are being planned.