GILES COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Becky Young, the owner of Friends & Family Restaurant, has worked hard with her family to rebuild the restaurant.
A fire destroyed the original restaurant in February of 2023, and ever since, they’ve worked on building a new one. Now Young hopes they are just a few weeks away from reopening, as the goal is to start up business again in mid-January.
With the finish line in sight, Young sees it as a bittersweet moment.
“I’m really excited, but also nervous,” she said. “We’re starting over from the very beginning with a new building, new equipment, some new employees and just everything.”
What isn’t new are all the loyal customers who have waited since the day the restaurant closed, to return through those doors.
As it gets closer to reopening, some people seem to be getting impatient.
“We know that people are really anxious,” Young said. “I think some of them are more anxious than we are because they come and drive by here every day just to see what we’re doing, so we’re really excited to get back into serving people for our community again.”
Some customers aren’t even trying to hide it.
Jenny Martin is from Narrows, the neighboring town, and she said she went to Family & Friends Restaurant usually once a week. She said she can’t wait to return.
“I’m very excited because they have good food and good service, and I love their breakfast, and I’m looking forward to see if they’re going to add anything new to their menu,” Martin said. “Just hurry up and open, we miss you.”
Martin and other customers are in luck because Young said they do plan on adding new items to their menu. However, she is keeping it a secret, so everyone will have to wait a bit longer to find out.
In addition to the food, a new front porch was built and will have outdoor seating available.