COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho —
When Cory Parker pulled up at the Wolf Lodge Steakhouse early Monday afternoon, the roof was on fire.
The place he had worked at and called home for nearly 32 years was going up in flames.
He couldn’t believe it.
“I’m still in shock,” Parker said as he stood with fellow Wolf Lodge employees on Frontage Road as they waited for the OK to return to the restaurant.
Parker had served in many roles over the decades. He started off washing dishes, became head cook and then kitchen manager. He worked as a server and bartender.
He took pride in the wood-fired steaks that attracted guests from across the country, and in the closeknit group that produced the nightly dinners.
“We put out a lot of business,” he said. “A lot of us have been together for quite a while."
The fire took what had been a huge part of Parker’s life.
“I don’t know where we go from that,” he said.
There were hugs and tears as employees, joined by friends and customers, huddled together, smoke from the fire still rising in the distance more than three hours after it started. Some stood silently, some walked and talked, while others looked on in disappointment. A few took deep breaths.
“This was our life,” said Jesse Duncan, a four-year employee. “This is awful.”
Duncan said he worked in kitchens throughout the area and turnover tended to be high. Not at the Wolf Lodge. People stayed.
To read the full story, visit our news partners, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
