Hank’s Place stood for 71 years in Chadds Ford before Hurricane Ida forced it to close on Sept. 1, 2021. The dining room, front kitchen, back kitchen and outside area were all flooded.
“It was devastating to see our life’s work basically destroyed,” said co-owner Anthony Young “Hank’s is the heart of Chadds Ford. And big part of the reason that my wife and I purchased the restaurant was to ensure that Hank’s carried on for another 70 years.”
Hank’s relocated temporarily to Kennett Square while work got underway on a new restaurant.
Now the new Hank’s Place is set to open in November, back in its old spot, rebuilt it from the ground up, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
The damaged restaurant was demolished in December 2023.
With $5 million in construction, the new restaurant will be better equipped to handle future storms.
The restaurant is now nine feet above the base flood line elevation and there are breakaway walls, designed to wash away during catastrophic flooding without taking the rest of the restaurant with it.
“Tears will definitely come to my eyes when we have the opportunity to reopen,” Anthony Young said.
Read more about the new Hank’s Place coming back to Chadds Ford at CBS Philadelphia.
