Chuck's Dairy Bar, a Rolling Fork legend, could be weeks away from opening, owner says

It was a cold, windy day in January, but dozens of hungry workers and residents stood outside Chuck's Dairy Bar in Rolling Fork, waiting to order and pick up their lunches.

The restaurant's building, like most of the town, was destroyed by an EF-4 tornado in March 2023, but owner Tracy Harden set up a food trailer on the building site, where operations are ongoing while she rebuilds the brick and mortar.

"It's a really tight space, but it has given us our lives back," Harden said.

Progress has been slow but the building is steadily coming into focus and if all goes well, Rolling Fork will once again have a restaurant where people can dine in.

"Right now, it feels like we've come to a little bit of a standstill," Harden said. "We've been having trouble getting a few things in, but we are waiting on them. But things are arriving later this week and we'll be on a roll again next week. Of course that puts us further behind but we still expect to open again in February, but it will probably be later in February.

"Still, even though we've been through all of this, we can't complain."

For now, Harden said she appreciates the support she has gotten from the community that has sustained her in many ways since the tornado.

"We've been very blessed, even though we've been through so much," Harden said. "Blessings keep pouring in and things keep happening, so we'll be OK."

Rebuilding Chuck's Dairy Bar offers a beacon of hope for the community as well, since Chuck's has been around longer than most people can remember and many hope it will still be around for years to come.

It opened in 1964 with then-owner Chuck Henderson at the helm of what would one day become a legendary eatery.

Jane Windham moved to Rolling Fork from Memphis 50 years ago, and she has been a customer since her very first taste of Chuck's food.

"The first thing I ever ate from Chuck's Dairy Bar was the strip steak basket, and I thought it was the best thing I ever had. I never had anything quite like that before. I've been a Chuck's Dairy Bar fan from then on."

That was before owners Tracy and Tim Harden took over the business in 2007.

The Windhams, who are neighbors of the Hardens, had three sons who spent a lot of time at Chuck's while they were growing up.

"I always felt like it was a safe place for them to be," Windham said. "They hung out there after school and I had a charge account there at the time, and it was astronomical. After ball games we'd all go to celebrate at Chuck's.

"We can't wait for it to reopen. We are really excited about that."

Chuck's Dairy Bar was one of only a few places in Rolling Fork that offered a place where townspeople could gather. And like most other buildings in Rolling Fork, the tornado wiped it out. When the Dairy Bar reopens, it will be a sign that Rolling Fork just might make a full recovery.

"I think that we'll bond together even more because we'll have a place to visit," Windham said. "I do think that everybody is really anxious for them to reopen for the social aspect of it."

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Chuck's Dairy Bar, destroyed by tornado, is close to reopening