A Bellevue restaurant shut its doors and traveled back in time one day last week as a film set for a local writer and educator’s work.

Local Burger, located on Main Street, was transformed into a late 1950s-style bar on Feb. 29. Although he had never thought his restaurant would be involved in a film, as a small business owner, Josh Groff jumped at the opportunity.

“It was really interesting for me to see — there were a whole lot of people there. At the end of the day, it was great for us because we had 25 local people there, many of whom had never been there before,” he said.

The film’s writer and director Michael Korolenko said he chose the restaurant for its timeless feel.

Part of the Local Burger’s mission is to have 90 percent of their food, as well as their decor, come from within 360 miles of their location. That means the furniture and other items tend to be older than what you would find in other restaurants — the tables are made from beams Groff’s team found on the peninsula, and all of the wood is reclaimed timber from near Marysville.

Despite the actors and production crew, Groff still had a business to run. Korolenko chose one of the restaurant’s slower times to film — Monday morning and early afternoon — and he and his crew cleaned up after themselves. All 25 cast and crew members even had lunch at Local Burger.

“(Josh) was great, he was wonderful to work with. For him to close down, particularly during late morning and afternoon lunch hour, was amazing. He had the place open at 5:30 a.m. for us,” Korolenko said.

The film, titled “Alternatives,” is a science-fiction fantasy story about a man who has been bouncing between alternate Earths for the last 30 years, but has been struggling to figure out why.

The nine-minute-long film stars Erika Walter and Andy McCone, whom Korolenko said were as good, if not better, than the actors he has worked with in New York and Los Angeles. In addition to Seattle-area make-up, waredrobe and cinematographers who worked in the film, five Bellevue College students had the opportunity to work on the shoot as interns.

Korolenko decided to make a short film of one scene from his novel at his publisher’s suggestion. But the shoot went so well, that he’s already planning on another.

For now, the editing, music and special effects are expected to take three or so months. Once the film is finished, Korolenko plans on showcasing it and the work of his student interns.

“I’d like to send it into film festivals, and eventually it will go online,” he said. “My main hope is that it acts as a showpiece for everyone who worked on it.”