The Fire Hub
Battle Creek built some really spectacular fire stations in the early part of the 20th Century. I realize that they’re not really practical as fire stations anymore but the buildings are so great it’s hard to tear them down.
My colleague and I were in Battle Creek last week for an assignment. I had planned to check out the new Jack In the Box for lunch but I soon realized we were on the west side of downtown.
I could have still made my way back to I-94 via Capital Avenue but I passed another spot that recently reopened that I’ve been itching to try.
The Fire Hub is in one of those old fire houses in Battle Creek….the old Station 4. It’s on Kendall Street just north of the train tracks and Dickman Road. This conversion to restaurant was initially done by Firekeepers Casino but that version of the restaurant closed in 2023. The building sat vacant for a couple of years until new owners took it over Spring of this year. The old name stayed the same as the restaurant started another new life in this historic building.
The old version of The Fire Hub was a counter service restaurant and the pictures I had seen from this new version showed that to still be the case. It was not though. There is still a large counter area near the kitchen but it’s mostly abandoned now and is more of a workstation for the waitresses.
I noticed the seat yourself sign as soon as I walked in and though, oh crap. I wasn’t looking to sit down and there was no online ordering option. My intent was to just grab a sandwich and get back on the road. I almost panicked and just bailed on the idea of lunch for the day but I hung around near the counter until I got a waitresses attention…which was slightly harder than I had hoped. I asked if I could just put in an order and she asked me what I wanted. There were no menus anywhere since this isn’t counter service anymore but fortunately, I had found a menu on their Facebook page and had a good idea of what I wanted.
I wasn’t planning on eating in but there is a nice big dining room in the front of the building where the truck bays used to be. The garage doors have been turned in to large windows so there is a ton of natural light that comes in to the building.
There is also a really nice patio area out front that sits up along Kendall Street.
I put in an order for a Pizza Grinder with a side of fries. The cost was a little over $16 and it only took a few minutes for it all to be bagged up and handed over the counter to me. My colleague was still sitting in the car so I headed back there and back to Kalamazoo to eat.
I opened up the fries first when I got back to the office. They were pretty simple frozen battered fries. There was a good amount in the box and that was about all I can really say. I had some mustard in the fridge at the office so I used that to give them a little bit of flavor.
The Pizza Grinder is made with pizza sauce, pepperoni, sausage, and mozzarella cheese on a French roll. It’s quickly baked in a stone fired pizza oven which gives the bread a delicious, crispy crust. When I think of grinders, my brain immediately goes to Mancino’s. This was not a Mancino’s type grinder. It’s more of a baked sandwich and it’s really delicious. My colleague looked over at the box and regretted not going in to get himself something while we were there.
I’m happy to see The Fire Hub back open after a couple years off. It’s such a cool space. The menu is pretty different from what it was last time I was there when it was owned by Firekeepers but I’m here for this new menu that takes advantage of a stone fired pizza oven. Not being a counter service restaurant threw me off but I suppose I could call in an order in the future (although I’d prefer to just order online). The sandwich was good enough though that I might actually use my phone as a phone.
SW Michigan Dining 