An early morning fire Friday at Chili’s Restaurant adjacent to the Highway 120 Bypass at Airport Way caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the building and its contents.

The restaurant plans to reopen for business for their Friday night dinner crowd.

A half dozen calls alerting firefighters to the structure fire were believed to have come from concerned motorists on the Highway 120 Bypass.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the rear exterior of the building ablaze with flames extending above the roof line, according to Battalion Chief Bob Davis. Five engines from the Manteca City Fire Department and the Lathrop Manteca Rural Fire District responded to the scene.

The restaurant was closed for most of the day and the waitresses sent home soon after they arrived for work. Police are reportedly investigating the suspicious nature of the fire