Tag Archives: Crawdaddys

Crawdaddy’s Restaurant, a staple of Cookeville’s Historic West Side, reopened today after one full year since fire closed the location. Co-Owner Drew Blalock said there were tears, anticipation and nervousness leading up to this day, but now the restaurant is ready. “I won’t say there is one big challenge. There was a lot of little challenges. They add up, but ... Read More »

The rebuilding process for Crawdaddy’s could start as early as this week after Owner Drew Blalock signed a contract for work Friday. Blalock said the demolition of the left over infrastructure will be the first step. “There’s a lot that goes into rebuilding after a fire that I wasn’t aware of,” Blalock said. “But, there’s reasons why it has taken ... Read More »

Four to eight months. That is the initial estimated rebuilding time of Crawdaddy’s, according to Owner Drew Blalock. As a result of last week’s electrical fire, Blalock said the entire upstairs including the back office, patio and bar will need replacing. “It is going to be a total gut job,” Blalock said. “Upstairs beyond the arches, there is so much ... Read More »

After the first round of investigations, the cause of the Crawdaddy’s fire has been determined as electrical in nature. Restaurant Owner Drew Blalock said TBI investigators and fire officials told him a ceiling fan on the outside balcony is the probable cause. “It started from the balcony from what the investigators have determined,” Blalock said. “We still have another investigator ... Read More »

With Crawdaddy’s indefinitely closed, CityScape Director Holly Freeman said it is now the community’s turn to care for those without a job. “The cause of concern right now is taking care of the employees and the staff,” Freeman said. “Normally, the holidays are a very busy time for restaurants and wait staff. They expect those tips to make a happy ... Read More »

Cookeville Fire Chief Daryl Blair said finding the cause of Wednesday’s Crawdaddy’s fire will take some time as officials continue to evaluate the situation. Blair said this is routine for a situation like this. For now, fire crews are regularly checking for hot spots. “There is a lot of pockets inside the brick and stuff where smoke is trapped,” Blair ... Read More »

In response to Wednesday’s Crawdaddy’s fire, a fellow Westside business has started a GoFundMe for employees. Soul Craft Coffee, which neighbors the popular Cookeville restaurant, is behind the idea. C0-Owner Anna Dunn said after speaking with the community, finding an outlet to help became apparent. “That is the thing about the Westside,” Dunn said. “We all band together. I mean ... Read More »

Interior fire damage to Crawdaddy’s is limited as Building Owner Peter Metts went through and surveyed the scene Wednesday morning. While crews successfully contained the fire to the restaurant’s perimeter, Metts said the Broad Street location mostly suffered water and smoke damage. “Most of the interior of Crawdaddy’s is water from extinguishing the fire outside,” Metts said. “So, interior wise, ... Read More »

Cookeville firefighters have contained the Wednesday morning fire to the Crawdaddy’s building downtown. Fire Chief Daryl Blair said just after 6:00am that crews have stopped the extension of the fire to surrounding businesses. Department personnel are working on several hot spots in the structure. Blair said the building suffered extensive smoke, water and fire damage. No injuries in the fire. ... Read More »