Catfish platter at Eat My Catfish (file photo).

Arkansas restaurant chain Eat My Catfish has set a reopening date for its Breckenridge Village store (10301 N. Rodney Parham Road) that was heavily damaged by the EF3 tornado that hit Central Arkansas on March 31.

KARK, Channel 4 reported on Wednesday that the restaurant will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Restaurateur Jim Keet, who is part of the new ownership group that purchased the shopping center in May 2022, said in an April interview that Eat My Catfish sustained the most damage of all the restaurants in the shopping center. The roof had to be replaced, along with equipment, HVAC units and other repairs.

The microburst storm that hit West Little Rock in September also damaged the shopping center causing further delays.

In June, Eat My Catfish opened its second Little Rock restaurant in the Riverdale Shopping Center at 2516 Cantrell Road. One day prior to the grand opening, employees of the restaurant served free meals to Central Arkansas tornado victims and first responders.

From KARK:

Company founder and president Travis Hester thanked his team and customers for their support during the rebuilding process.

“Since the day the storm hit, the staff and the entire Eat My Catfish team have banded together, showing a resilience that has helped make reopening Breckenridge possible,” Hester said. “We are also so grateful to have experienced the true spirit of kindness and generosity of the community. Our Breckenridge location is a symbol of the strength of Little Rock, and we look forward to returning to serve the community we love.”

Rhett Brinkley is the food editor at the Arkansas Times. Send restaurant tips and food selfies to rhettbrinkley@arktimes.com