COEUR d’ALENE — Back to burgers.

“It feels good to work again,” Denise Schmidt said following the lunch rush at Schmidty’s Burgers. “We missed seeing everybody. You get that clientele, that's your friends, family. It feels like you've made those relationships. It’s hard to lose those all of a sudden.”

Owned by Nathan and Denise Schmidt, Schmidty’s Burgers was destroyed in a downtown fire more than two years ago. It recently opened at 1524 E. Sherman Ave.

It’s a temporary menu, with a variety of burgers and sandwiches. They aren’t done with interior decorating. And the point-of-sale system isn’t in yet, so it’s cash only for now.

But boy, it’s good to be cooking and serving again and seeing loyal and new customers.

“It's been super busy,” a smiling Denise said. “Very big crowds. Everybody's been super nice. And it's been a lot of fun.”

While the distance from where Schmidty’s operated on Fourth Street for seven years to its new home is about a mile, the road to get here was much longer.

Schmidty’s was among several businesses lost in the Jan. 20, 2020 fire.

“We burned down right before COVID hit. There were a few months in there we just tried to do our part and stay home,” Denise said.

“COVID was a huge thing to have to deal with in the middle of trying to rebuild the restaurant,” she added.

The search for a new home was difficult and there was more to it than most might realize. It involved a long process of meetings, phone calls, permits, applications, equipment and contractors.

“We were going as fast as we could. We weren't dragging our feet. Everything just took longer than expected,” Denise said. “It’s more work than it sounds like.”

Nathan and Denise looked at several sites. Some had too much space. Others needed too much work. A few were too much money.

But amidst the confusion and unknowns, they didn’t give up.

“We had to get back to work,” Denise said.

Then they checked out the former home of Fresh Start, a now closed nonprofit that helped the homeless at the corner of 16th and Sherman.

“It was the right size. It was the right area where we wanted to be. It all fell into place,” Denise said.

It needed a bit of work.

“When we came in, it was completely blank. It was a blank slate. There was nothing in here,” Denise said. “We designed the whole layout from scratch. I used to do some designing work. So I enjoyed that part.”

The wait was worth it. A nice, comfortable home for Schmidty’s Burgers in an easy, relaxed atmosphere.

Experience paid off.

“We learned in those seven years what we like, what we don't like, in aspects of the restaurant, and what will make it flow easier. We were able to do that on this place,” Denise said.

It’s a competitive market on East Sherman, which has been the target of revitalization. Jimmy’s Down the Street is almost right across the street. Moon Time restaurant is within a block. Michael D’s is a few blocks away, as is Roger’s Ice Cream and Burgers and The Relic Smokehouse and Pub.

“I think there's plenty of business in the area to go around,” Denise said.

Schmidty's is open 11 to 8 Tuesday to Saturday, 11 to 3 on Sundays and closed Mondays.

Nathan handles most of the kitchen duties, while Denise is seemingly everywhere, cooking, serving and greeting as needed. Two sons help out, too.

Both grew up working in restaurants

“This is what we do. It's what we know,” Denise said. “We enjoy it."

Regular customers have found them again and Denise and Nathan are appreciative.

“Two years is a long time to have people asking, 'Where are you? Are you coming back?'" Denise said.

The answer is yes.

They’re back.

“It’s been nice to feel the love of the community,” Denise said.