Hearing calls from the country, Sammons Restaurant is preparing to reopen in Elizabethton.
Just mere hours from plugging in the sign at their West Elk Avenue location to announce the restaurant was coming back, Denise R. Sammons, Sammons Restaurants Incorporated CEO, mentioned she had already received calls from people within the community and is ready to open a legacy that spans 66 years.
“I’ve already received so many messages on instant messenger online,” Denise told the Elizabethton Star Friday. “We’re very excited about what the future holds.”
Sammons Restaurant closed its doors on Saturday, Aug. 13, of this year with Denise citing that she would focus her time on her other business, SOZO Life & Wellness – a nutritional practice based out of Elizabethton.
While operating SOZO, the CEO added an influx of people from across the country calling in after the closure to state what the restaurant meant to their lives helped make this transition happen.
“We got inundated with so many calls following the closure,” Denise said. “There were so many calls from people all across the United States. One story about the closure was posted online and I saw it was shared over 3,000 times. The support was incredible. We just kept getting call after call from people talking about the legacy it has in the community, what it meant to them, asking if we could even reopen just for one day … we even had someone come in from Georgia offer to come in help operate the business. It was incredible.”
The opening date for the Sammons is still up in the air, Denise added, saying it looks to be a few weeks out before anything the facility opens up. The restaurant will host a line of open interviews on Wednesday, Oct. 12, to have a staff ready for the West Elk location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
“We’re going to be offering more reward incentives,” she said. “We’re going to be offering paid vacation opportunities for employees, whether they are full or part time. We’re very excited about getting a staff in place of high quality individuals that will be happy to serve the community.”
With the reopening comes a change at the office. While the CEO will still operate the cooperation, a new person will serve as the operator of the business.
“We have someone who is phenomenal in the restaurant business,” Denise said, adding the individual has over 25 years of experience in the business.
“I can’t disclose the name of the person until next week,” she said. “But it’s an exciting time for the business, we’re looking to take the restaurant to another level. We’re going to have the business under an owner-operator system much like what Chik-Fil-A and Pals does with their restaurants.”
With an eventful two months passing by, Denise continued by stating her excitement for what’s ahead for the company.
“It’s extremely important to have the chance to continue the business,” she said. “Getting all the calls from everyone, from as far west as Dallas, Texas to people in Atlanta, Georgia and Florida and just hearing their stories. God works in mysterious ways.”
Sammons Restaurants originated in 1950 by Doran S. Sammons, the grandfather of the present shareholders. The business began in Historic Downtown Elizabethton and was treated with rave reviews from customers, even earning the nickname “The Hole in the Wall”.