It’s a rare thing for an 80-year-old restaurant to have a soft opening, but this is how business works in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ferrell’s Snappy Service, the renowned hamburger grill at 10th and Main streets, re-opened early Monday morning. Within a couple of hours, word was spreading quickly that the oldest and smallest eatery in Hopkinsville was back in business.
“The word is getting out,” owner Phillip Ferrell said in the middle of the lunch rush.
A late-night fire closed the downtown restaurant on July 4, 2019. Repairs took several months and the business re-opened with much fanfare on Valentine’s Day. But a month later, the doors were locked again because of the pandemic.
Ferrell, who inherited the business from his late parents, David and Cecil Ferrell, said it was mostly a guess about when he ought to restock supplies and bring back his employees. He thought about it a week ago, but his wife convinced him to wait a little longer. All but a couple of the employees were available to return, he said.
“We just had to call the bread man and the chip man” and get the meat restocked, he said.
Under Kentucky’s coronavirus regulations, restaurants are allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Ferrell’s has only 647 square feet of space, so business will be mainly carry-out for a while. Employees and patrons have to wear masks, said Ferrell.
Hours will be 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
