By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Grand Rivers, Ky.—Exciting news from Patti’s 1880s Settlement.
Groundbreaking for the new restaurant will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 2, and the owners expect it will be ready to open around January of 2019.
Patti’s suffered a devastating fire in February of 2018 which resulted in its demolition but it has stayed open with outdoor dining which has featured a lot of the Patti’s favorites, such as the two inch smoked pork chops, homemade rolls and strawberry butter.
Patti’s Marketing Director Ann Martin told WENK/WTPR Tuesday morning that the new Patti’s will be the same size as the former restaurant, with some changes. “The entrance will be set back off the road so we will have a canopy over the entrance and more room for more handicapped accessibility. The kitchen also will be set back and the interior will have a different flow.”
BUT, she said, “We’ll still have the same quaint small dining rooms, the Rhinestone Room, Rose Room, Trophy Room and all that, and we’ll add a couple new rooms. Indian Joe will have his own room and we’ll also have the family dining room. The tables will still be where you can see the lights out back and we’re going to try to incorporate as much of the cedar interior as we can. The floor plan will flow better and be more efficient for the wait staff.”
The former employees will be brought back to Patti’s, she said, plus other jobs will be available, too.
The outdoor dining that has been utilized since the fire has proven to be so popular that Patti’s will be keeping it. “We’re keeping all that while the construction is going on, but we’ll also keep it in the future. We have steady customers during the week and people in line on the weekends. We’re crazy busy on weekends. ”
One feature of the outdoor dining area that has been especially poplar is that patrons, especially those who arrive from the highway, can dine with their dogs. “We have water bowls outside for the dogs now,” Martin said, “and we’re going to make dog stations outside that will allow people to put their dogs in carriers outside while they’re eating inside, too. People who travel with their dogs look for places that are dog-friendly.”
All through the construction, Hamburger Patti’s will stay open, as will the ice cream parlor. “When the weather gets cold, we’ll still have the ice cream parlor and start serving hot chocolate and cappuccino and things like that, too.”
The people at Patti’s, Martin said, “are just so excited about what the future holds. We just can’t wait.”
Even with the fire, all of the shops and other amenities are still open.
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