Ever since Joan and Owen Farrell started dating in high school, Joan knew of Owen’s dream to own a restaurant. After they married, they realized that it was too costly to purchase something in their home area of Milwaukee, so when a family member saw a listing for a Gillett restaurant, they decided to buy.
With some fast food experience and a dream, they moved to Gillett and opened OJ’s Midtown in 1977.
But the dream turned into a nightmare on Sunday morning, Oct. 6, when Joan noticed smoke coming up the side of her upstairs kitchen window. When she went downstairs to investigate, she found fire creeping up to the ceiling from the grill and microwave area in the restaurant kitchen.
Within minutes, the sprinkler system kicked in, and the family was scrambling upstairs figuring out what to take as their renovated apartment filled with smoke.
“I was afraid it would burn down or be completely damaged,” Joan said.
Fortunately, an alarm system notified the Gillett Fire Department, and the sprinkler over the grill contained the fire.
“The Gillett Fire and Police departments did an awesome job,” Joan said. “They were wonderful, and I can’t say enough about how caring they were.”
An electrical malfunction started the fire, and the cost of the damage has not been determined. The whole building was damaged by smoke, and everything was covered with black soot. The Farrells left their home for three weeks while a cleaning crew took over.
“They were cleaning with toothbrushes,” Joan said.
One of the hardest tasks was throwing out the food they had in storage, she added.
The restaurant was gutted, cleaned and restored so no smoke odor would remain. All equipment in the kitchen area was replaced, including the lighting.
The most damage occurred in the area where the fire started, by the grill and microwave. The exhaust system was the biggest project in the renovation, because everything had to be brought up to current code. Things have changed since the building was a built 120 years ago and the restaurant opened in 1977.
The public area of the restaurant was not damaged. The Farrells wanted to keep the hometown flavor and atmosphere of their place, known for its pies. Recently, the restaurant was selected as a Discover Wisconsin Destination for travelers and tourists.
“We never dreamed our name would be so widespread,” Joan said.
Owen and Joan thanked the community for its support and were grateful for a generous donation they received from an anonymous donor at their church.
The couple purchased ingredients for pumpkin pies, which they donated to St. John’s Catholic Church in Gillett to be used as a fundraiser just before Thanksgiving.
“We wanted to give back,” Owen said.
“And it gave us something to do,” Joan added.
Now they wait for the completion of the renovation project. Their dream continues and is contained in the boxes of new equipment and supplies and the expertise of the construction workers and electricians.
OJ’s Midtown was scheduled to reopen Jan. 6, but setbacks with equipment have delayed this by several weeks.
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