UPDATE: Oct. 17 at 4 p.m.
A popular Campton restaurant is working to get back on its feet after a devastating fire destroyed the building.
The owners of The Wicked Wolfe in Wolfe County lost everything when flames destroyed the restaurant Tuesday night. No one was hurt, but the building was a total loss.
The owners are now considering buying a food truck to put on site while they rebuild. They're asking the community to let them know if anyone has an affordable food truck for sale.
"Our intention is 100% to rebuild if we are able, but of course that will take time," the restaurant said on social media Thursday. "It is one option to buy a food truck to put on site and that way we could still offer a limited menu, continue to serve our customers, have an income, and be right on site to oversee the rebuild."
The family says they're taking things hour by hour, but are determined to serve customers again.
"As you can imagine we have had a very shocking and devastating couple of days. We did want to take a moment to check in and more importantly thank each and every one of you for your outpouring of love, prayers and support," they continued.
Original Story:
A family-run restaurant in Wolfe County was destroyed Tuesday night when fire swept through The Wicked Wolfe in Campton, leaving nothing but smoke, ash, and burnt walls behind.
Owner Amy Draper said the restaurant was more than just a business — it was their entire livelihood and a place where the family worked together every day.
"And it was a family restaurant. It was us and our kids, and we got to spend the day every day working with them, and it was just wonderful customers, and it was just our whole life," Draper said.
Draper learned about the fire when her son called to report flames in the kitchen. He had already called the fire department and safely evacuated the building.
"When we got here, it was pretty big in one area. But for the next two hours, we just watched it take the whole place down," Draper said.
Wolfe County fire crews have not confirmed what caused the fire.
The financial impact is devastating for the family. Draper said the restaurant was their only source of income, and most of their savings had gone into recent renovations.
"The hardest part is this was going to be all of our incomes. Our only income. So we now have our kids who don't have an income, and we don't have an income. We don't know what that looks like," Draper said.
The family had just purchased new barstools and a pizza oven, and had plans to add a dance floor to expand the restaurant.
Despite the overwhelming loss, Draper said the support from the local community is helping them get through each day. The family is determined to rebuild and continue serving the Campton area.
"We're not gonna sit back, we're gonna do every step we need to take to hopefully rebuild again. We want to be here. We love being here. We love serving the customers of Campton and the surrounding areas. We've built so many bonds with people. We just want to be back doing that," Draper said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family during this difficult time.
