To the delight of many in the Laurel-Jones County community, the doors to McAllister’s reopened Monday, January 13 after being closed for four weeks due to the damage received when an EF3 Tornado ripped through parts of the Laurel business community and several residential areas in the city and county on Monday, December 16.
“We’re back,” exclaimed Tracie Murray, McAlister’s general manager, with a smile. “We were ready to come back, and the customers were ready for us to come back, too.”
According to Murray, their customer traffic has been practically non-stop since Monday. “It’s been amazing,” exclaimed Murray.
Murray said the damage to the building was primarily on the roof over the kitchen area. The a/c units on the roof and in the kitchen were damaged as well. The front glass door and pick-up window shattered, and several windows still have cracks.
“We had 13 employees and one guest here when the tornado hit,” said Murray. “They all got in the cooler. Thank the Lord; no one was hurt. They called me, and we secured everything that night. We boarded up the front door and the pick-up window.”
However, the amount of damage to the roof was underestimated. After the tornado roared through on Monday, the roof was patched, and after two days, the power restored. By Friday, they were preparing to reopen the restaurant on Saturday when another storm thundered through the area Friday night, dumping a large amount of rain on the area. The roof patch proved to be inadequate, and water poured inside the restaurant primarily in the kitchen area, creating a substantial amount of damage. The roof had to be replaced and several walls.
It’s been tough,” exclaimed Murray. “We went through $700,000 worth of renovations and continued to work through that. Then the tornado. But we got a new kitchen this time.”
The renovation project on the restaurant started in July and continued through November. Renovations were made to the dining area, patio, and a pick-up window area was built. With the damage from the tornado, Murray said McAlister’s corporate office decided to go ahead and upgrade the kitchen.
Murray said during the closure time, the community support was wonderful. Other restaurants in the area called and checked on them. “We were flooded with calls from the community wanting to know if we were okay and when we would reopen.”
Murray said the employees were paid during the four weeks and all returned to work on Monday. Several of them came to the restaurant every day to help out. Many customers have told Murray that they experienced McAlister’s withdrawals during the closure.
“It’s been horrible,” said one customer. “I’m so glad they’re back.”