A Tuesday morning fire disrupted rush-hour traffic on South Bend's East Side and also left dozens of folks without a place to grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast.

The blaze broke-out inside Jeannie's House, a new restaurant inside what many remember as the old White House Diner.

The first 911 call came in around 5:30 a.m., signaling more than 30 firefighters to the corner of Twykenham Drive and Mishawaka Avenue, kitty-corner to John Adams High School.

As of Tuesday night, the South Bend Fire Marshall’s office had yet to determine an official cause, but said all evidence pointed to a kitchen fire. Firefighters say two cooks had just fired-up the grill, preparing for the morning breakfast rush. Only minutes later, they reported seeing piercing flames and heavy smoke filling the iconic eatery.

The two employees safely escaped from the breakfast bungalow, one so compact inside, firefighters had trouble maneuvering, but didn't find it hard to share in the sadness.

"They’ve done a great job remodeling it and it's a shame that this had to happen, but hopefully it's just a minor setback and they'll be able to get the business back open again,” Battalion Chief Carl Buchanon said.

As the dark of night, gave way to the light of day, investigators looked for answers as customers simply searched for words to express their feelings.

"Yeah it kind of upsets you. I’d hate to see it go, especially after they worked so hard on it,” Paul Rogge said.

Hard work like replacing rotting wood and the building’s iconic white siding, all just for the building to now get boarded-up again.

"She's very upset right now. I feel bad for her,” Jeannie’s co-owner Paul Rogge said about his wife Jeannie.

In Sept. 2011, Rogge and his wife Jeannie bought the historic diner and invested $240,000 in much needed improvements. It was a dream that tastefully paid-off, until Tuesday.

"It hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know what will be going through my mind on the way home. My wife now has nowhere to go tomorrow morning,” Rogge concluded.

The Rogge family says it will not let a fire destroy its restaurant’s longstanding tradition. They hope to re-open the establishment by early April.