An online petition has begun to circulate throughout the county in hopes of bringing back Ward’s Family Restaurant after it fell to an intense structure fire on Aug. 13 of this year.
#bringwardsback began on Oct. 3, according to the Facebook posts, and since then, the petition has been shared dozens of times from supporters in the area.
“Tragically, on Aug. 13, 2019, there was a structure fire at Ward’s that caused significant damage. The restaurant was forced to close, and employees were left without jobs with no notice. Ken and Kathy were faced with the loss of the long-time family business they had worked so hard to build over the years, as well as the loss of their livelihood,” states the online petition.
Further adding, “Unfortunately, Ken and Kathy do not own the building but have leased it since they opened. While they would love to reopen Ward’s Restaurant and give back what we believe has become a staple of the Paris community after all of these years, they are not in a position to make that decision.”
Ward’s Family Restaurant quickly became a favorite amongst locals when they opened in 1995. The family-run business began with brothers, Kenneth (wife Kathy) and Gary Don Ward, when they opened the shop at 2655 Clarksville St in Paris.
So far the online petition has garnered nearly 200 signatures from locals around the area who are showing support to bring this family favorite back to life after the devastating fire.
The fire which took down the internal parts of the structure was believed to have started from a grease build-up in the kitchen. The Paris City Fire Marshall determined that the cause was of an ‘accidental nature’.
Daughter of Ken and Kathy Ward, Karla Ward Renfrow, said it was devastating for her family when the restaurant fell to the fire, but they want to reopen. The only hold up to that is waiting on the owners of the building, Harrison Walker and Harper, to make a decision.
“We have been leasing from them for twenty-five years, and dad had thought of possibly going to another location, but the building on Clarksville St. has been home for so long that they would love to reopen there,” she explained.
Renfrow further added that not only had they felt that the restaurant was an extension of their home, but it was a place where their regulars and staff met daily.
“We have had staff working there for over ten years. We have had regulars come in every day for a meal for as long as I can remember and there are the stories that come with that,” she said, “after starting the petition I came to find out a local couple had met in the diner and seven years later they are still happily married.”
It’s clear that the little diner that sat on the corner of Collegiate and Clarksville means more than just a good place to eat to the family, the staff, and the locals that always dropped by.
The Ward family is hoping that with enough signatures they may be able to show the buildings owner’s that this is a local business worth saving.
“We wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, but if we get the answer that they are not going to allow us to reopen, then we will think about another location. Until then, we hope that the community can get behind this petition to show them how much Ward’s Family Restaurant is missed,” she said.
If you want to sign the online petition in support, make sure you scroll down towards the bottom of the page on your smartphone to fill out the information and click the second sign button.
myparistexas.com was unable to reach Harrison Walker and Harper for comment at time of press.
