A rebuilt Fazoli's will open May 22, a year to the day since firefighters were called to an overnight blaze that destroyed the Poplar Bluff restaurant.
The Westwood Boulevard location will employ 70 people, with training to start next week, according to co-owners and brothers Jeremy and Jonas Duckett. Fazoli's is currently advertising for an assistant manager, assistant general manager, restaurant associates and kitchen staff.
The new building features an IT bar with charging stations and high speed wifi access, as part of a redesigned dining room, said Jeremy Duckett.
This location was constructed for exactly what the restaurant will need moving forward, he said.
The dining room setup is geared more for families and millennials, while the kitchen will have a better ability to handle catering, explained Jonas Duckett. A more efficient design was used for the drive through operation as well, he said.
The restaurant has been closed since a fire of unknown origin gutted the original 4,000-square-foot building. Constructed around 1986, it had previously served as a Hardee's. It opened as Fazoli's in 2010.
Emergency personnel were called shortly after 1 a.m. May 22, 2017, by a passerby. The blaze had already broken through the roof of the structure.
Firefighters said at the time the fire was hot enough near a ventless, on demand hot water heater to melt a portion of attached PVC pipe.
Crews initially entered the building and were later evacuated when it was determined to be too dangerous. Two of three large roof air conditioning units collapsed into the interior of the restaurant after they were evacuated.
There was no better location to rebuild, according to the brothers' father, Jack Duckett, who is also an owner.
The building was constructed using the original blueprints, but had to be updated to current city codes, according to the city planning office. This includes structural changes and bathrooms compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.