After a fire ravaged the upper floor on April 27, Tailfins Waterfront Grill, a three-story eatery on Destin Harbor, is back open and welcoming customers.
Fire protection: Second class fire alarm at Tailfins restaurant in Destin
Managing director Luke Mitchell said there would be an unofficial opening on August 10.
“Right now we are fully open,” Mitchell said, mentioning the Tiki level as well as the lower and middle levels.
“This weekend the top floor will be open… we’re all in motion,” Mitchell said.
Exactly four months have passed since the early morning fire – which was classified as an accident by the state fire commissioner – caused massive damage to the restaurant.
But the comeback from the ashes was “thank God great,” said owner Johnny Fuller.
“The city has worked really well with us,” Fuller said Monday down at the dock in the restaurant.
“We tried every effort necessary to put something back together. But we worked double shifts around the clock and got it done,” Fuller said.
Previous coverage: Latest reports on fires at Tailfins, Blue Mahoe and Mikato restaurants in Destin
Fuller boasted about his contract partners, the Cadenhead brothers.
“They put it all together,” he said.
The black smoke and flames that were visible throughout the port on that Saturday morning in April caused damage to the upper floor. The other floors at the back were flooded.
“But we’ve rebuilt it exactly as it was, and we hope everyone will come and visit us. We’ll be fully open again on Friday,” Fuller said.
Many people are now returning to Tailfins.
A couple from Hanceville, Alabama, sat on the back deck on Monday and enjoyed a seafood and pasta dish and ribs.
Tina Clements said they try to visit the Destin area once a month, and when that happens, they like to visit Tailfins.
“This is our first time back since the fire,” Clements said, noting that their shrimp Alfredo was just as good on Monday as it was before.
Jacob Holbrook, a local, stopped by the bar on Monday.
“This is a great place for soccer,” Holbrook said.
General Manager Mitchell said they are looking forward to the football season.
“It’s a good time to visit us. This is going to be the hottest place, this is the sports bar. We’re ready for football season,” Mitchell said.
Tailfins has multiple televisions on all three floors.
In addition to sports, Tailfins features live music on the docks seven nights a week from 5pm to 9pm.
And locals Todd Simmons and Ysabel Perez are looking forward to just that: the music.
“We like the beer and the music,” Simmons said.
Simmons also mentioned that if they hadn’t known there was a fire at Tailfins in April, they “wouldn’t have noticed.”
The Shumaker family from Nebraska was happy to be back at Tailfins on Monday.
“I’m glad it’s open again,” said Melani Shumaker, who noted that she had been following the fire live online.
The Shumakers said Tailfins is always a stop for them when they are in town.
“There is a good atmosphere,” she said.
The staff contributes significantly to this “atmosphere”.
“We’ve brought back a lot of the old staff and hired a lot of new people … so it’s a good mix,” Mitchell said.
“It was great to have the old and some new faces here,” he said.
Due to fire damage, Tailfins was closed in May, July, July and early August.
“Everything we lost, we were able to replace,” Mitchell said.
“It was a tragic day. The worst thing was that no one was hurt. Everything else is replaceable,” he said.
Photos: Tail fins in Destin Harbor the day after Fire Alarm No. 2
Although they missed the peak season, Mitchell said, “We still have a lot of this year ahead of us. The rodeo provides a lot of opportunities for employees to make money.”
“We tried to keep everything as it was and added a few TVs … it goes back to the old tail fins,” Mitchell said.
“We are not going to stop, that’s for sure,” Mitchell said.
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