I think everyone was shocked to hear about, or witness firsthand, the fire that engulfed the Campus Court Plaza on April 22, 2010. For those of us returning to campus from co-op for the S10 term, the fenced off parking lot was all that remained. The fire started in the early hours of the morning and although firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the flames, significant damage occurred. In the blaze, businesses including Mel’s Diner, Mr. Sushi, Tabu, University Vision Centre and Sugar Mountain were completely consumed. It is now known that the fire was electrical and the point of origin was the DJ booth at Tabu. Much of this is already known to the UW students currently in town; however I wanted to know more. What is to become of our beloved Mel’s?

Upon speaking with the owner of Mel’s Diner, Jerry Smith, it has become clear that Mel’s will return, but when this will happen is not yet certain. In its current location, Mel’s would take approximately a year to reopen. Finding out information from the city about starting construction efforts has been described as a “hurry up and wait” process by Jerry due to all of the red tape and permit applications required. It may even take as long as three months to start digging and begin to rebuild.

Naturally, Jerry has contemplated alternative locations to start a new Mel’s Diner. About a week before the fire, the HMV currently located in the plaza was selected as the location for a new Burger King, opening there soon. This would have been an ideal location for Mel’s, but very unfortunate timing has removed this possibility. Jerry said that if Mel’s were to move, it would probably be farther from the UW campus, hindering student access. Overall, this process looks as though it will be a long one and definite plans are still unclear.

However, in all of this loss, it’s important to remember all of the fond memories we have of Mel’s Diner. Mel’s opened in 1995 and was an immediate success among the student crowd, as well as Waterloo residents. When asked about his fondest memories of Mel’s, Jerry recalled the many instances of 3am outbursts of the song “Sweet Caroline” and how nonstop the diner was over its 15 year run. Jerry also commented on how rewarding it was to work with University of Waterloo. Specifically, Jerry and his wife happily provided a free breakfast for thousands of first year AHS and Environment Faculty students and leaders during frosh week over the past ten years.

Mel’s Diner has certainly been an integral part of many students’ university careers and will be greatly missed. Jerry would like to “thank everyone in the community for their support” and that he will be seeing us again soon. And so now we all wait for the triumphant return of Mel’s.