LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For Travis Hester, a new year means new beginnings and he and his team are working around the clock to reach their goal of reopening Eat My Catfish in Breckenridge Village next month.
"We're just excited about January 9th and be back serving this local community that was devastated and to be a focal point where they can come in and heal along with us," Travis Hester said.
It's been a long journey for Hester, the president of Eat My Catfish, since the March 31st tornado took out the roof, caused leakage, and extreme damage to the inside. Now 10 months later, it's almost time to open the doors again but this time with a fresh start.
"This is one of our older locations, so it needed to revamp... and a lot of those windows look back across where that tornado came from and so it's really cool for us to be able to see out there and the guests to be able sit at a table and look out and...kind of remember that day," Hester said.
Hester said his business hit every setback in the book from material shortages to the insurance process and even the microburst in September, but he's happy to be at the end of the process.
"It was an emotional day for everybody involved, our neighbors, our team, and we just want to be there to support them, just like they've supported us over the last, what, 10 months," Hester said.
It's a lot of time and a lot of change happening, but people can expect the same food made with love at Eat My Catfish.
The ceremony will take place at Eat My Catfish on January 9th, at 10:30 a.m. and Hester said Mayor Frank Scott Jr. is expected to be there.