HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) – After two months of being closed and cleaning up from the February flood, France’s Diner in Downtown Hazard officially reopened Wednesday morning.
Frances Napier said she opened the diner 57 years ago.
“I hope all my customer’s comes back and knows I miss them,” Napier said.
Two months after heavy damage from the flood, customers were back at their regular tables. Brenda Henson has worked at France’s Diner for 24 years.
“It was heartbreaking, it was heartbreaking to see everything gone, you know, a lot of memories, it was sad,” Henson said.
Diner employees and community members were hard at work for the past two months mucking out and building back. Now, they can once again make pancakes, eggs, grits, and hot cups of coffee.
Matthew Chandler was the second customer of the day. He said he was grateful to be able to help with the cleanup, with members of the Hazard Football Team.
“To see them reopen, we talked to our kids about it at practice yesterday, it shows a lot of perseverance and a lot of toughness,” Chandler said. “They didn’t have to reopen this place but they knew how important it was to Hazard.”
Janet Smith enjoyed breakfast at France’s Diner.
“This is like a family for everybody in Hazard. We’ve really missed Frances and we’re so glad that she decided to open back up and come back because she is a fine lady,” Smith said.
France’s Diner is now open Monday through Sunday.
Copyright 2025 WYMT. All rights reserved.