Brian ChilsonPurple Cow on Cantrell Road in the hours following the EF-3 tornado on March 31, 2023.
The effort to revive Purple Cow’s original location at 8026 Cantrell Road after it was heavily damaged by the EF-3 tornado in March of last year has encountered delays, but is “moving forward with full force,” Ken Vaughan, president of Purple Cow restaurants, said.
As many home and business owners have found in dealing with the aftermath of the tornado, the insurance process hasn’t been easy, Vaughan said. Part of the delay, though, was the decision of how to rebuild. Vaughan said previous reports about the building being completely demolished were not accurate. The interior of the restaurant has been cleaned out and taken down to the studs, Vaughan said, but the rebuild will be done within the building’s existing 2,000 square-foot structure.
“We’ve taken this opportunity to hire an architect to help us with the redesign inside and really make the building what we want it to be to make it more efficient, improve the guest experience and increase our capacity,” Vaughan said.
The new design will include more windows on the south side facing Cantrell Road, a dedicated entrance for take-out orders and all new furniture. Vaughan said the walk-in cooler and freezer will now be located in a fenced-in area directly outside the back of the building, which will add more space to the kitchen. The process has already begun with the gutting of the interior, Vaughan said, but actual renovation and reconstruction should begin around April 1 after sorting out a few details with their general contractor. Vaughan declined to comment on the cost of the rebuild because it has not been finalized.
Damage to the building was extensive. Windows were blown out, the patio enclosure was ruined, the kitchen exhaust system was destroyed, but thankfully, no one was hurt. The staff sheltered in the freezer and walk-in coolers.
“That saved their lives,” Vaughan said. About half of the 25 team members of the Cantrell store are still with the company, Vaughan said, and all of them were given the option to stay and move to other stores.
Purple Cow has active locations at 4201 Warden Road in North Little Rock; 11602 Chenal Parkway in West Little Rock; 1055 Steel Ave. in Conway’s Hendrix Village; 1490 Higdon Ferry Road in Hot Springs. Vaughan said the company is actively looking to grow and targeting locations in Saline County and Northwest Arkansas.
The timeline for reopening the Cantrell store is uncertain, but the company hopes to be up and running around the time the Arkansas Razorbacks kick off the 2024 football season Aug. 31.
This year will be the company’s 35th anniversary. Chef Paul Bash of Jacques and Suzanne fame and businessman Ed Moore opened Purple Cow in July 1989.
“This is a big year for us,” Vaughan said. “We’re really excited that we’ve been able to be a part of the community for so long, and we’re looking forward to returning to the Cantrell neighborhood and being a part of that community.”
The post Purple Cow moving forward with rebuild on tornado-damaged Cantrell store appeared first on Arkansas Times.