Employees struggle to move forward after Midway Restaurant in Puxico is destroyed by a fire
PUXICO, Mo. (KBSI) — A massive fire that tore through Puxico, Missouri, over the weekend destroyed three buildings, including the Midway Restaurant, and left several employees without jobs.
For more than 48 hours since the blaze, the Phillips family, who owns the Midway, has been focused on helping their former employees find new work. They’ve been calling vendors and searching for job opportunities to support their team.
“It hurts a lot,” said Erika Allen, a former sous chef at the Midway. “It was so much fun coming to work, and it’s heartbreaking knowing that it’s not there anymore. I’ll never get to go back to it.”
Allen, a college student, is now looking for new job opportunities. “I’m just trying to take it one step at a time,” she said. “Looking for jobs, figuring stuff out that way.”
Nikki Phillips, co-owner of the Midway, and her husband have been working tirelessly to find new jobs for their employees. “It was like, oh my gosh, what are we going to do? I have two or three college students who work with us and several high school students,” Phillips said. “It’s just a lot to take in, and I feel awful because we were about to go into the summer season, and now they have to find something else.”
Despite the hardship, Phillips says it has been encouraging to see neighboring towns offer help. “I had a lady stop by yesterday and say if her store was closer, she would hire them immediately,” Phillips said. “She works in Sikeston, and we know some of them would drive that far. It’s tough, and I hate to lose them because they’ve all been great.”
For Allen, the future is uncertain, but she cherishes the memories of working at Midway. “I definitely loved working with all of them. They made it so much fun.”
The cleanup process for the site is on hold as the Phillips family awaits approval from the insurance company. They’ve been in contact with several cleanup companies, but work cannot begin until the insurance approval is granted.
