Battle Creek Restaurant Torn Down

It’s been more than six months since a popular Battle Creek restaurant caught fire, and Hogzilla BBQ Smokehouse has been closed since then. Today, the old building at 889 West Columbia Avenue was knocked down and a Remax for sale sign is reported to be visible on the lot.

Hogzilla2 on Columbia Avenue in Battle Creek-TSM Photo by Tim Collins

Back in June, Hogzilla owner Sonny Singh said on social media, “It’s a long process, the cost of a rebuild is way higher than expected because of lumber prices. That’s all I can update without going into details.”

People posting on the Carryout Club Facebook page said that Singh never owned the building and that the owners decided to sell the property.

Trish M. Wesner wrote, “Sonny has already addressed this in another thread. The building was owned by a landlord who decided not to rebuild on the lot and instead tore the building down and put the lot up for sale. Sonny is looking for a new location for Hogzilla. That’s it. Case closed. Nothing fishy about it.”

Shortly after the fire in January, a GoFundMe page was set up and raised more than $4,000. When Singh heard about it, he said he was going to give most of it to the employees and was hoping insurance would take care of the rest.”

There’s no word from Singh about a possible new location yet for Hogzilla, but a lot of fans are certainly pulling for him.

Jim Sirks said, “That's GREAT news. He's a great guy and has worked hard over the years to build a great business. He deserves to have his own place.”

MissLee Ranee posted, “I remember reading that he went to rest stops during the pandemic shut down and GAVE away food to the truckers. Good-hearted man!”

Trisha Spring Converse wrote, “I’m sure many thought Sonny owned the property. Sorry to see this was out of his control and nothing but good thoughts as he moves forward.”

What will be next for 889 West Columbia? Who knows, but it has a history of serving tasty treats. It was once the site of: