Fire Damages Champaign Restaurant

Taffie’s restaurant in Champaign is closed until further notice. The Champaign Fire Department says they put out a fire in the kitchen of the restaurant at 301 South Mattis Avenue Sunday night during the 10 o’clock hour.

The first firefighters to arrive at the scene reported flames visible through the front windows and smoke coming out of the roof vents. But the fire was extinguished without incident or injuries. 

Damage from the fire is estimated at $35,000. The cause of the fire has been listed as undetermined.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District will have inspectors out at Taffie’s on Monday.

Taffie’s is owned by Jeremy VanMatre, who recently purchased the restaurant from the Pomonis family after serving as the restaurant’s general manager. The Pomonis family also owns the Merry Ann’s restaurants in Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal.

UPDATE: This story was updated at 10:32 AM to include new information about the fire's damage estimate and cause.