Calico County eatery unsure of next move

FORT SMITH — Owners of a popular restaurant that was damaged by fire early Monday said they hope to reopen in the same location next year.

Scott Blair, a co-owner of the Calico County restaurant, said it will be anywhere from four to nine months before the restaurant is ready to reopen. Owners are considering whether to remodel, rebuild or move to a different location, he said.

Calico County employs about 60 people, Blair said.

Fort Smith Fire Marshal Chris Driggers said the initial estimate of the fire damage at the freestanding building at 2401 S. 56th St. was $400,000.

Blair and co-owner Gerald Laroche said they were heartened by the support they have received by messages, phone calls and in person from patrons who heard about the fire.

Blair said he’s gotten messages from people as far away as Michigan.

“It’s always good to know the community and the clientele are behind you,” he said.

There were more than 30 postings on the restaurant’s Facebook page by midmorning Monday. Several expressed sadness over the fire, some offered help and others said they were glad no one was hurt.

Blair and Fort Smith fire officials believe the fire started in a laundry room. The cause was undetermined Monday, but Blair said oily rags spontaneously catching fire was a possibility.

Driggers said he believed the fire smoldered for hours before flames broke out.

Surveillance video was recovered from the restaurant Monday and will be viewed for clues about the fire’s cause, Driggers said. The fire is not believed to be suspicious, he said.

The fire alarm sounded at 2:43 a.m. Monday, Driggers said. Four pumper trucks and a ladder truck were sent to fight it, the first arriving two minutes after the alarm, he said.

Blair and Laroche said they were concerned about saving the many antiques displayed throughout the restaurant that added a nostalgic atmosphere to the dining room. Laroche said they purchased many of the decorations, including old road and business signs, from roadside sales around the area.

Laroche said he feared the 20 framed Arkansas Times Readers Choice Award certificates hanging on the walls of the restaurant were destroyed.

But it has been the food that has sustained the restaurant since it opened in August 1984, Blair said. Laroche pointed to the sign outside the restaurant that announced “home cookin’ good” food. Meals were served in generous portions, including its popular cinnamon buns, at affordable prices, Blair said.

The restaurant has always done well, Laroche said, even during the current economic slump. He said the restaurant averages about 700 diners a day.

“We’ve weathered it all,” he said.