NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — One North Little Rock business owner is working to get his restaurant back on its feet after a fire in October 2023.
When North Bar on John F Kennedy Boulevard went up in flames, owner Kyle Dismang thought he'd have to start all over in a new location.
"To this day, it's pretty unbelievable," Dismang said. "You don't ever think it's going to happen to you... we were looking for anywhere we could go right after the fire to open up quickly."
After much thought, Dismang decided to stay and rebuild in the same location despite the extensive damage.
"Everything's gone," Dismang said. "It's a complete, total rebuild. It'll be a brand-new kitchen from the ground up."
Since the fire, Dismang got creative, serving customers in a food truck. He said he's ready to have his building back.
"It's pretty much like it was," Dismang said. "It's just situated a little bit differently, and we have a little bit more space in the kitchen."
Dismang has complete creative control of the new building.
"The main reason we came back here... the owners let me design the restaurant however we wanted," Dismang said. "Literally everything."
During the rebuild, the community continues to support the local businesses.
"Park Hill, North Little Rock, and Sherwood, they've all really come out," Dismang said. "Every time I post something, you better get ready because you know they're coming."
People can find the food truck parked at the filling station, a short walk from North Bar's original location.
"Most people start with food trucks and then go to restaurants," Dismang said. "We did kind of reverse, so it's been a huge learning experience, and Joy and Christy over the filling station have just been wonderful and always great advice."
Now, Dismang looks forward to making new memories in his new restaurant.
"Everything just kind of worked itself out," Dismang said.
If you want to mark the grand opening on your calendar, North Bar owners said they expect to reopen sometime in July.