It's a monumental day for a staple of Sebastian County.
After a fire shut down Calico County Restaurant in Fort Smith (2401 South 56th) last November, the country eatery wouldn't see another customer until Sunday (Aug. 4). It's part of a two-night soft re-opening in preparation for the grand re-opening on Tuesday (Aug. 6)
Sixty employees were without work following the fire. The business owners' insurance coverage allowed the staff to continue earning a paycheck while the restaurant was closed.
Jennifer Hosier, who has worked at Calico County for four years, said she was surprised by but grateful for the assistance.
"It just spoke so much about how they really do care about us," said Hosier. "They truly, truly care about the well-being of our staff."
For the wait staff, the insurance assistance covered their base pay but didn't account for their tips. As a result, some servers had to find other jobs in the mean time.
Kim Weindel is a single mother raising three kids, and she said it wasn't feasible for her to support her family on the base pay offered. She said her boss at Calico County, where she's worked for 13 years, helped her find another job in the interim.
"I knew I was coming back (to Calico County)," said Weindel. "I made it clear to everybody that I would be back."
That sort of dedication isn't uncommon among the Calico County staff. Tammy McMahon has worked at Calico County for 23 years, and she said she'll continue working there until she retires.
"I'm going to stay here as long as I can," McMahon said. "As long as I'm able. I love it."
Calico County partner Scott Blair said they retained about 80 percent of their pre-fire staff and hired about 40 new team members for the re-opening.
Danielle Dial, a server for four years at Calico County, said she's ready to be back to work and excited to see some familiar faces.
"We have so many regulars that always come in," Dial said. "They just make you happy, and they light up your day."
Calico County will officially re-open its doors to the public Tuesday (Aug. 6) at 6:30 a.m.
