The downtown eatery Corner Grill reopened for business Wednesday.

The business shut down on Sunday due to fines the business would receive from the city in regards to an exhaust hood that broke fire code regulations. The fines amounted to $3,600.

Owner Larry Cain said City Prosecutor Matt Reger agreed not to fine him after he saw a plan for the renovations that had been submitted to the Wood County Building Department in December. This allowed the business to reopen.

A deadline for the renovations has not been set, and Cain said it is currently a work in progress. The cost to renovate the business, including the exhaust hood, will cost a total of $120,000.

After the business announced plans to close on Sunday, the eatery was filled with customers throughout the weekend.

“It was amazing the amount of people who came here,” Cain said. “They wanted to do all sorts of fundraisers to help.”

Cain said people drove three or four hours to eat at the downtown establishment.

The next step in the process, Cain said, is to secure funding for the renovations. Cain said some ideas have been thrown around to secure funding, but nothing has been set in stone yet.

“I was upset [when I heard Corner Grill was closing],” said Lindsay Akens, who came to eat at the restaurant. “It was something I really loved and have a lot of really great memories coming here with my friends. So I would like for it to stay open.”

For Linda and George Taylor, the Corner Grill holds sentimental value. The couple, who have been eating at the establishment for more than 30 years, said the place would be missed if it were to close.

“[The Corner Grill] puts me in mind of the older days,” Linda said. “It is a friendly place to come too.”

The Taylors said they frequent the restaurant every Saturday and usually once or twice throughout the week. For George, the order remains the same, even if it is 5 a.m. on a Friday — a hamburger and french fries. Now, the Taylors bring their children and grandchildren to eat at the business whenever they visit.

The couple was surprised to see the eatery open when they were downtown on Wednesday, but were excited to be able to eat at the restaurant again.

Cain said he hopes to keep the business going as a staple of the community.

“When I bought this place, I knew it was part of the community, and I did my best to keep it going,” Cain said.