BRIDGEPORT — Stephanie Bertucci-Fitzpatrick was sitting in church that March morning four years ago when her cellphone started blowing up with calls from her employees at Fabulous Freddies.
When she stepped out to answer her phone, she got the devastating news.
"The restaurant is on fire," said the person on the other end.
In disbelief, Bertucci-Fitzpatrick, her mother and sister Brittany rushed to the family-owned business in Bridgeport, but by the time they arrived the restaurant was engulfed in flames.
"I couldn't believe it," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick recalled. "I was crying, I was devastated. It was the worst day of my life."
That grease fire forced Fabulous Freddies, 701 W. 31st Street, to close its doors on March 13, 2011, after 21 years in business. But for Bertucci-Fitzpatrick and her two sisters, Christie and Brittany, who had just taken over the family business a year earlier, there was no choice but to rebuild.
Now, four years later, the restaurant is holding its annual Customer Appreciation Day from 9 a.m. to midnight Tuesday to thank all the loyal customers who waited out the long rebuilding process and returned to patronize the new and improved restaurant.
The rebuilding process started three days after the fire, Bertucci-Fitzpatrick recalled.
"We sat down with my father and got a plan together, got the funding and started over from scratch," said Bertucci-Fitzpatrick, 28.
Eight months and many Facebook updates later, the restaurant reopened that November 2011 with a new layout, expanded menu and a parking lot.
"We were nervous because after being closed for so long, we weren't sure how people were going to respond," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
But the Bertucci sisters' fears were laid to rest when loyal customers came in droves for the reopening. Lines were out the door and snaked around the corner of 31st and South Union Avenue, the sisters recalled.
"We were so happy to see all the people come back," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
Brittany Bertucci, who was 20 at the time of the fire, said the reopening was nerve-wracking because they didn't know what to expect.
But four years later, those uncertainties have been put to rest. As part of the fourth annual event, Freddies will offer 50 percent off all regular menu items, including breakfast sandwiches, hot wings, burgers, rib tips, pasta, salads and pizza to honor the loyal customers — and new customers — for their support.
"We try to have the Customer Appreciation Day as close to the day of the fire to thank everyone for their loyalty," said Christie Bertucci-Vega, 30, who started helping out at the restaurant when she was 13. "It was my father's idea to give back — a thank you for not forgetting us."
As the Bertucci sisters gear up for the event, they are thankful for the continued support from workers and customers after the uncertain period in the aftermath of the fire.
"The whole experience made us appreciate the business, our employees and customers even more," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
"Ahead of the reopening, we reached out to our former employees, and they all came back. They even worked two weeks for free ahead of the reopening to make sure we were ready," she said.
"We realized just how much of a family unit we are. Without them, or our customers, we are nothing," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
After the fire, Freddies added an upstairs private event room and has delivery service throughout the city, going as far as Wrigley Field on the North Side.
"After the fire, our outlook is different. We don't want to refuse or say 'no' to anyone because our customers are so important to us," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
And although business is booming, the sisters remain behind the counter, making sure that the family business continues to run smoothly.
"We are here every day, and everyone works so hard," Bertucci-Fitzpatrick said.
In August, the restaurant will celebrate its 25th anniversary in business.
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