The steady drumbeat of questions wondering aloud when The Chicken Coop Restaurant in Southtown St. Joseph will re-open for business has finally been answered. The fire which struck exactly three months ago tonight has kept the facility closed for repair and renovation work by owners Jason & Amy Variell.
Today, they took ownership of The Chicken Coop on M-139 in Benton Harbor and at the same time revealed that assuming the work continues on the rehabilitation on their St. Joe property it should be open “by June.”
Brisk winds the night of January 10th threatened to make the damage to the popular restaurant worse than it ended up being, but because the fire began in the ventilation system and impacted the integrity of the roof, the reconstruction work has taken longer than they would have liked.
The good news for Chicken Coop fans is that Variell and his team are offering the same traditional recipe at the M-139 site where they opened for business at 11 o’clock this morning, Monday, April 10th, and will continue to work to satisfy your craving for their fried chicken, fish and other menu items that have left a gap in the St. Joe marketplace since the fire in January.
Until the St. Joe Coop re-opens for business just ahead of the busy summer season, you’ll find the Variells and their team in the house at the M-139 Coop from 11am until 9pm every Monday through Wednesday, from 11am until 10pm on Thursdays through Saturdays and from noon until 8pm on Sundays.
Enjoy your trip on M-139 across from Belle Tire and we’ll keep you posted when Jason, Amy and their staff get St. Joe back up and running along Washington Avenue across from Chili’s and Burger King.
