WYTHEVILLE, Va. – A beloved Wytheville restaurant is rising from the ashes after a fire in October.
Customers can expect the old comfy feel mixed with some new additions.
Devastation set in seven months ago, when the Log House 1776 Restaurant went up in flames.
“I don’t know you panic and think you’ll never make it,” owner James Green said. “But we made it.”
Green said the upstairs of the restaurant faced the most damage, but the logs were not scorched.
“All the sheetrock came down and the floors were ruined,” Green said.
A new roof in place now means higher ceilings and some new local additions.
George Wythe High School students made a few dining tables for the restaurant to help welcome the reopening.
About 30 familiar faces were re-employed to help operate the restaurant. A family Green truly missed.
“Well, it was a shock to us because we were scared to death that we would have horrible time getting staff,” he said.” And all of them came back. In fact, we got one more than we had so we are in really good shape.”
The community created a restoration fund immediately after the fire. Green said they received $11,000 to help restore the iconic spot and he will never forget the humble act.
“Well, they’ve supported us for 45 years and they supported us the whole time we were shut down,” he said. “They just made us feel really great.”
The restaurant reopened officially this week and the upstairs of the restaurant will be available to dine in later this week.