BENTONVILLE -- Fred's Hickory Inn is back in business.
The iconic restaurant opened for the first time Nov. 18 since it caught fire last fall.
It is operating from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday with a limited menu, said Greg Cockrum, general manager. The plan is to open for lunch in early December. Hours then will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant will be closed Sunday.
"We did our best to keep the integrity of Fred's (with) the same feels and textures," Cockrum said.
The restaurant at 1520 N. Walton Blvd. closed after it caught fire about 11 p.m. Oct. 22, 2014. The fire started in the water heater closet and spread to the attic, but the cause remains unknown, according to a report from the Bentonville Fire Department.
The one-story building had 25 percent to 49 percent flame damage, according to the report.
There was smoke damage throughout the building, and engineers recommended demolishing and rebuilding, Cockrum said.
"They've added on and added on. Now we've rebuilt," Cockrum said. "The two fireplaces and log cabin are the only things that stayed. Everything else has been rebuilt."
The new restaurant was built on its old footprint.
Fred's opened a food truck earlier this spring. It was a project in the works prior to the fire. It's closed now, but will open on Southwest A Street within the next month, Cockrum said. It will continue operation even with the restaurant opening.
Fred's Hickory Inn opened in 1970 and has served big names such as Walmart founder Sam Walton, Tyson Foods' Don Tyson and President Bill Clinton.
The inside looks great, said Horace Hardwick, a Fred's patron since the 1970s.
The restaurant still has the Fred's feel, he said.
"Regardless of what they do to the inside, as long as they keep the atmosphere and the same people and the friendliness that they've had for years and years and years, that's what made Fred's Fred's," Hardwick said.
NW News on 11/30/2015