Plans revealed for Clarksville Roosters to rebuild

Libby Cunningham, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Aug. 3—CLARKSVILLE — It's likely that the space where the former Clarksville Roosters restaurant location sat won't be empty for much longer.

That's because a developer met with Clarksville's Plan Commission on Wednesday night to reveal plans for the restaurant to be rebuilt, following a devastating fire in February.

"We are excited about them rebuilding, and a lot of the comments on social media have been extremely positive, and I think a lot of people are going to be welcoming them back," said Clarksville Town Council member Mike Mustain, who is also on the plan commission. "I like the new look and, in all fairness, that building has been there for a long time; it served very well their purpose, a lot of people loved going there and eating, it kind of had nostalgic feel to it. I really like the new look."

Based on plans presented at the meeting the new location has a more modernized look on the outside and boasts a large, covered patio.

Per the development plans the new Roosters will be 7,640 square feet with a 2,000-square-foot patio.

There will be 305 seats inside and 120 dining seats available on the patio.

"Roosters was more than just another Clarksville restaurant," said Clarksville Communications Director Ken Conklin. "It was a popular gathering spot for local residents to come together to enjoy great food and good times. Town leaders are extremely pleased that the Roosters ownership decided to rebuild and bring this treasured business back to life in Clarksville."

No one was hurt when the former building went up in flames in Clarksville on Feb. 27.

At that time Clarksville Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs said there was a lot of smoke and heat in the building when firefighters entered and between that, and the amount of furniture in the building, firefighters had to switch to defensive measures.

Skaggs said the building suffered multiple collapses as well.

The restaurant opened in the space in 2011 in the former Damon's building at 1601 Greentree Blvd. Clarksville is home to Roosters' only Indiana location.

The company's website shows there are other locations in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Mustain said the plan commission unanimously approved the plans for the new restaurant.

"I am impressed with how Roosters treated their employees and worked with their employees after the fire. That was critical and I think it shows their commitment to their people," Mustain said.

He said a large number of town employees and employees of municipalities in the area, stopped by Roosters.

"The servers, it was amazing how many of them remembered you when you came in what your order was," Mustain said. "That's how familiar the servers were with the clientele that came in there."