One week after a fire destroyed Tom & Jerry’s Restaurant in Sycamore, the longtime local favorite already is moving toward reopening, announcing plans for a temporary location and a full rebuild at its original site.

In a social media post Saturday evening, the restaurant said it secured a temporary location at 265 W. Peace Road in Sycamore – the former Eggsclusive Cafe – with plans to reopen by early March. Work is underway to prepare the space so the restaurant can resume serving customers as quickly as possible.

Sarah Meyer, Tom & Jerry’s general manager, said the restaurant’s management team first looked at the space on Feb. 1 before signing a lease two days later. She said workers have been inside the location most days since.

“We are still overwhelmed with grief, but I think at this point we are all so busy making plans that we are just forging ahead,” Meyer said. “We definitely still cry every day, just not all day everyday. Like i said, we’re so incredibly busy that it’s keeping our minds off the sadness and keeping us, keeping us going.”

At the same time, plans are moving forward to rebuild at the original DeKalb Avenue site. Once demolition begins, construction will follow immediately, according to the restaurant.

“During this incredibly difficult time for our entire team we have been overwhelmed by the amount of support from friends, family, patrons, fellow businesses, and our community as a whole.

“We knew the only direction to go was forward, so through our grief and tears we immediately began making plans,” the social media post from the restaurant said.

The entire Tom & Jerry’s staff was invited into the new space before the public was informed of the temporary restaurant location, Meyer said.

“It was really good just for all of our hearts to be together,” Meyer said. “Even though we’ve been communicating this whole time, but for all of us to be under one roof and just be together as a family again was really healing for all of us, I think.”

The fire broke out early Jan. 31 at the restaurant, 1670 DeKalb Ave., causing severe damage to the building, which officials later deemed unsafe and a total loss. No one associated with the restaurant was injured, Meyer said, although one firefighter suffered a relatively minor injury during the response.

Despite the loss, the restaurant’s owners said an overwhelming outpouring of community support has helped guide their next steps.

Tom & Jerry’s has served the Sycamore community for more than 50 years, and the response to the fire has underscored its place in the city. Since news of the blaze broke, customers, neighboring businesses and residents have shared messages of encouragement and support.

“A house is just walls, and love and family is what makes the house a home; we lost our walls,” Meyer said. “Tom & Jerry’s will be wherever we bring it. So that’s going to temporarily be on Peace Road, but we’ll eventually be back on DeKalb Avenue. We lost our walls, but we are rebuilding.”

The restaurant said updates on reopening dates for both the temporary location and the rebuilt restaurant will be shared as plans progress. Meyer said that could mean a “slow rollout,” where the restaurant doesn’t immediately restart delivery or drive-thru services.

“When life hands you lemons,” the restaurant wrote, “make tzatziki.”