The historic Starlite Diner in Daytona Beach is back open, five months after sustaining damage from Hurricane Matthew.
- Starlite Diner in Daytona Beach back open, 5 months after Hurricane Matthew
- Hurricane Matthew took aluminum walls off building, destroyed inside
Matthew struck Oct. 7, just days before Biketoberfest. And it's back open just days before Bike Week.
Patti Williams has worked at the Starlight diner more than a dozen years. She remembers what she felt when she returned to work after the hurricane.
"I was in shock," said Williams.
The Starlite Diner is well known for the aluminum walls, which cover the entire front part of the building. Matthew's winds peeled off all that aluminum, leaving just a shell behind.
The inside was destroyed, leaving employees like Williams collecting unemployment for the next five months.
"I did not like it, not at all. Thirty years in this business and that's the longest I have not worked," said Williams.
For the next five months, the diner's owners struggled to collect from their insurance company. That company finally came through and released the necessary funds needed to re-open.
"It was just amazing, just back home again. And a lot of the familiar faces," said Williams.
Faces, says Williams, like the Wanduch couple from New York, in town for Bike Week. Both Bike Week and Biketoberfest pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.
Mary Wanduch stopped by during Biketoberfest, much to her disappointment.
"We were just devastated, because we didn't realize just how bad everything was until you're actually there and see it," Wanduch said. "And they just opened up, so we've been here twice already in two, three days."
The Starlite Diner was packed Wednesday morning, music blaring together with a cacophony of cash register ringing -- music to everyone's ears.
Some businesses are still trying to recover. The hotel the Wanduchs normally stay in during biking events, the Regency, is still closed for repairs.