HAZEL CREST, Ill. (WLS) -- Fire damaged a family-owned barbecue restaurant in the south suburbs late Monday night.
Witnesses said they saw flames and smoke coming from the roof of Mae's Que House in Hazel Crest.
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The restaurant was closed for the night so no one was inside the business when the fire started, officials said.
"It's a family-owned business, me, my wife, my mother-in-law, we own the business. It's her namesake. It's what she dreamed of doing, and now it's up in smoke." said Lamar Cato, the part-owner of Mae's Que House.
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"We stayed busy," Cato said, adding that they often ran out of food due to the high demand.
"It's just sad," he said.