ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. — After over two months of closure from tornado damage, Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant re-opens to the public.
Pat’s today looks nothing like it did when I visited the day after the tornado on May 15.
The establishment's outdoor roof was completely gone and debris covered the parking lot.
“It’s heartwarming I can’t wait to get back to my normal you know day to day activities," one of the owners Jude Patrick Huval said.
“My workers want, man they’re ready they just like us they tired of not working.”
This was the restaurant’s only closure in all of it's 75 years.
“We had to put a whole new roof on the porch right here," Huval said.
"We had to put some new metal tin roof on the Atchafalaya Club on 12 different spots.”
Huval said in ten weeks they were able to make major renovations, and they will still continue improvements when the restaurant opens.
“The deck we had to make a few improvements here, we have to change a few boards but the whole top, all the posts," Huval said.
"We lost some tables, some rod iron.”
But one part of Pat’s will not be returning due to it being too costly.
“The hotel was destroyed," Huval said. "It’s a shame but it is what it is.”
One normalcy Huval is excited to get back to is seeing his loyal customers enjoying what he calls a "true taste of the Atchafyla."
“I miss talking to them and feeding them and them telling me how much they love the food and enjoying it," Huval said.
He has a new perspective on life after seeing how fast a natural disaster could change everything.
“You’re here today, in an hour you could be gone in five minutes and you gotta take everything as it comes and love people that love you," Huval said.
The restaurant officially opened Monday morning.
