Kountry Kitchen preparing for bigger, revitalized restaurant after January fire
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The old Kountry Kitchen is gone, in its place just an empty lot, but one that will serve as the foundation for a revitalized Kountry Kitchen and event center.
After a January fire, the restaurant is planning to come back bigger and better than ever, but it may take longer before we see it up and running again.
Kountry Kitchen says it hopes to be in full swing by next spring, but the owners know that may be a little ambitious during a pandemic.
“The past Kountry Kitchen was a two-story building right there on the corner,” Regina Marsh, a spokesperson for Kountry Kitchen, said. “The new building will be a building that goes from one side of the lot to the other.”
The business says it’s looking for construction bids for the project right now, but it’s taken a bit to get to this point because of a few issues.
“We’ve had some headaches between the coronavirus and also some issues with a billboard that’s on our property,” Marsh said. “We’ve had some setbacks, but we’re still working to get this building built by next February.”
They say they’ve pushed through their issues and a pandemic because they know how much they’re wanted.
“The community wanted us to rebuild,” Marsh said. [Owners] Cynthia and Issac get calls daily from people asking ‘When is Kountry Kitchen opening back up?’”
Neighbors say they’re willing to wait for a good thing, but they need Kountry Kitchen back where it belongs.
“I just hope they rebuild sooner than later,” neighbor Austin Davis said. “It’s important to have multiple dining options here in Indianapolis and they’re a staple to the community. So it’ll be good to see them grow and come back stronger.”
After burning down and being rebuilt, Kountry Kitchen may be a little different than what people are used to, but owners say the heart will always be the same.
“The soul of the place is the people,” Marsh said. “It’s not necessarily the building. I think if we look at the people who have for years worked on this site, have given to the site, have eaten at this site, you will find the soul of the Kountry Kitchen. It’s not in the building. It’s in the people. And Issac and Cynthia have done a wonderful job of making people feel like this is their restaurant and their community.”
Kountry Kitchen says they believe the fire back in January was caused by a wiring issue in an office. Even without the building, they’ll still be doing the Christmas meal giveaway this year.