A fire that tore through the roof above the kitchen at 7 Mares forced the beloved Mexican restaurant at 1403 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Grand Rapids to close in July, but the Santoyo family didn’t wait around for insurance checks to start cooking again. They bought a food truck and parked it in the lot across from their original building, providing the family some income while repairs remain stalled.
Tina Santoyo, her children and employees were preparing for the day and eating breakfast when they learned the building was on fire, according to MLive. Her son, Sebastian Santoyo, said the flames were already on top of the building by the time he looked up. The fire started above the kitchen and caused extensive water damage throughout the building, according to the same report.
The blaze broke out on July 21, and the response was fast: fire crews arrived on scene within three minutes, and everyone inside escaped unharmed, according to WOOD TV8. Within six minutes of the call, 27 firefighters were on the scene, the station reported, and the fire ultimately caused what officials described as significant damage to the kitchen and part of the building. The cause was believed to be tied to a problem with the kitchen’s hood system, though WOOD TV8 reported that remains under investigation.
A Family Business Built Since 1999
Tina Santoyo founded 7 Mares in 1999 at the corner of Kalamazoo Avenue SE and Adams Street, according to a report from Yahoo News. The restaurant had served customers for nearly three decades, becoming known for seafood and authentic Mexican dishes, per MLive. For more than 25 years, 7 Mares has been serving up authentic Mexican food to the Grand Rapids area, according to a separate account from wgrd.com.
The family told Yahoo News that the insurance hasn’t provided any estimated time of when repairs can start, leaving the rebuilding timeline uncertain months after the fire. Rebuilding the restaurant will take time, per MLive, and 7 Mares is still awaiting insurance settlements and other financial resources before construction can begin.
Community Fundraiser Helped Bridge the Gap
While the family waited, the community stepped in. The Boston Square Neighborhood Association, Amplify GR and Oakdale Park Church teamed up with 7 Mares in mid-August to host a pop-up fundraiser, according to wgrd.com. The restaurant opened a food truck at Oakdale Park Church for the weekend, with proceeds going toward rebuilding and supporting employees who hadn’t been working since the closure, the station’s report noted.
The fundraiser grew over its run, expanding beyond food sales to include a limited new menu and branded T-shirts across the three-day event, per the same WOOD TV8 account of the fundraiser. That early pop-up effort appears to have set the stage for what became a longer-term solution: a temporary food truck operation.
Birria Egg Rolls Born From a Florida Road Trip
After the fire, 7 Mares purchased a food truck to keep the business running, reopening in the parking lot across from its original location, according to MLive. The move also let the Santoyo family experiment. Sebastian Santoyo, his sister Yamilex Santoyo and Iliana Arias have used the smaller food truck operation to test new ideas that wouldn’t have fit the old sit-down menu.
One of those ideas has become a signature item. Yamilex Santoyo developed the birria egg-roll concept after encountering an egg-roll food truck in Florida, MLive reported. The birria egg rolls now cost $9.99 and, per Sebastian Santoyo, are included in almost every order as a pair. The food truck runs from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Catering Fills the Gap While Rebuilding Continues
Beyond the truck, 7 Mares has expanded its catering business, now bringing food directly to weddings and community events, according to MLive. That shift has given the family another revenue stream while the Kalamazoo Avenue building sits unrepaired. Sebastian Santoyo said the restaurant plans to reopen once rebuilding is complete, and the family is asking customers to spread the word that 7 Mares is back in business in the meantime.
Other Michigan restaurants have faced similar paths back from fire damage. First Wok in Cascade Township reopened after a January kitchen fire shut it down for nine months, following months of repairs, waiting and uncertainty, according to Fox 17. A kitchen fire at a noodle restaurant in Ann Arbor resulted in about $150,000 in damages, according to the fire department, as reported by CBS News Detroit. For now, 7 Mares is betting its food truck — and those birria egg rolls — can carry the business until the original kitchen is ready again.
