HOT SPRINGS - A fire ripped through Coy's Steakhouse early Friday morning, destroying one of Arkansas' most famed restaurants that for more than half a century drew big names and on race weekends big crowds from Oaklawn Park.
The landmark restaurant and its scores of anniversary photos, celebrity-signed chairs and other memorabilia went up in flames about midnight, hours after the last worker locked up and went home, firefighters said.
The cruel irony of the fire's timing - opening day of the horse races - was not lost on Rodney Appling, one of the restaurant's owners.
"This is our time of year," Appling said Friday afternoon as firefighters doused the hot spots.
It appeared that the blaze broke out in the kitchen, Hot Springs fire marshal Nathan Schanlaber said. But he said it was too soon to know how it started.
Piles of debris from the collapsed roof and two feet of standing water delayed a thorough examination of the ruins Friday afternoon.
"It's slow going at this point," the fire marshal said.
The restaurant dates back to 1945, when Hot Springs resident Coy Theobalt started making steaks at an old log cabin at West Grand and Central avenues. He later gave the eatery his name and moved it across town to the current location off Arkansas 70.
Appling's family and their close associates bought it in 1972, aging steaks on site and adding fresh fish to the menu.
They later opened two other Coy's locations, one in Little Rock and one in North Little Rock. Both have since closed. However, the Hot Springs location weathered rough times and has operated continuously, making it one of the older eateries in the state.
Over the years, Coy's in Hot Springs drew its share of powerplayers, politicians and performers, including former Presidents Clinton and Reagan.
"Anybody who is anybody who came to Hot Springs probably ate at Coy's at one time or another," Steve Arrison, chief executive officer of the city's Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said from the racetrack.
Customers often signed their names to the bottom of the wooden chairs to record their visits for posterity. Appling hoped to salvage at least a piece of a chair from the rubble.
"It's been our life," he said. "It's not what we do; it's who we are."
The restaurant is tucked behind a motel and next to boardedup houses, blocks away from the main downtown strip of spas and shops. But that never seemed to matter.
"It's very much a Hot Springs tradition and a tradition held by people all over the South who come to the races," said Dave Byerly, president of the local chamber of commerce. "The steaks are to die for."
Dinner at Coy's was a tradition for Millie Patrick for the past decade. She and several family members have gone there every New Year's Eve.
Servers were especially friendly, the crackers were warmed up and served with a homemade dressing before dinner, and the food was "excellent," she said.
"This is going to be a real blow to everyone," she said.
The owners said they didn't know if they would rebuild and reopen.
"We don't really know exactly what we're going to do," said Jim Manning, Appling's brother-inlaw and an owner. "It's just kind of like losing a member of your family right now."
For now, the 60 or so employees are without work.
"They're part of our family," said Tracy Manning, Jim Manning's daughter and restaurant manager. "We'll do anything we can."
Arkansas, Pages 11, 13 on 01/17/2009