"If you would've told me that I'd never leave this town back when I was 18, I would've said I don't know about that."

Roanoke College standout Bob Rotanz and DeAngelo Hall among the inductees.

The Roanoke / Alleghany health district held a free Hepatitis A vaccine clinic for restaurant workers after an outbreak in several local restaurants.

A Salem staple just won the title of Virginia’s best restaurant.

SALEM, Va. – A local favorite is back open after shutting down because of a fire inside the restaurant. Mac and Bob’s in Salem reopened weeks after an electrical fire burned part of the building. An employee saw the smoke early in the morning and the fire department said if it had happened overnight, there may have been no restaurant left. It only took 22 days to reopen after the fire and co-owner Bob Rotanz said that’s all thanks to the community. Rotanz said it’s been a rough few years from their lawsuit to the coronavirus pandemic, but they wouldn’t be here without the community’s constant support.

SALEM, Va. – After a fire tore through the business three weeks ago, a popular Salem restaurant is nearly ready to welcome customers again. Mac & Bob’s will likely reopen Tuesday, according to owner Bob Rotanz. Employees and emergency crews spent the past week cleaning up what the fire left behind. According to Rotanz, the fire started when the wiring for the restaurant’s neon sign malfunctioned. “If this happened at 2 in the morning, it would have tore through the whole restaurant and it could have been a total loss,” said Rotanz.

SALEM, Va. – Mac and Bob’s Restaurant in Salem was in recovery mode Tuesday after a fire in their restaurant Monday morning. Co-owner Bob Rotanz said a structural engineer took a look at the damage and said it’s not as bad as it could have been. The fire came just days after the restaurant had to close due to several employees testing positive for COVID-19. Even through all the pitfalls the restaurant has seen lately, Rotanz said the one thing that always keeps them going is their customers. I can’t tell you how many text messages I got, ’Hang in there, Bob,’ ‘You guys can do it,’ ‘We’re supporting you,’ ‘Love you guys.’ That keeps us going, it really does,” said Rotanz.

SALEM, Va. – Mac & Bob’s Restaurant in Salem will be closed Tuesday night for cleaning after four employees tested positive for COVID-19. In a video shared with customers Tuesday night, owner Bob Rotanz explained that SERVPRO will be coming in to deep clean the restaurant, adhering to CDC requirements for cleaning and also using EPA-approved disinfectants. Rotanz said they’re working with the Virginia Department of Health to ensure the safety of customers and staff. Mac & Bob’s will reopen Wednesday reopen with normal hours starting at 11 a.m.

SALEM, Va. – More parts of Virginia are now open under Phase Three of the state’s reopening plan, but Gov. Northam decided to keep bar seating at restaurants closed for the indefinite future because of social distancing concerns. Bob Rotanz, owner of Mac & Bob’s Restaurant in Salem, told 10 News he was excited to have customers back at his bar seating. “It seemed like when they talked about the flare ups, whether in Myrtle Beach, Florida, Texas, or wherever, the word, ‘bar’ kept coming in there. I’m really not surprised...disappointed, but not surprised.”Although bar seating is off limits, restaurants no longer have to limit their capacity, as long as every group is at least six feet apart.

ROANOKE, Va. On Friday night, many watched and waited to see how the reopening of local restaurants and breweries would go under Governor Northams Phase 1 plan to reopening the Commonwealth. Big Lick Brewing has the largest outdoor space in Roanoke and allowed 30% of its capacity, shy of Governor Northams mandate of 50% or less, which worked out to 75 people. Employees wore shirts with the restaurants logo on the front and the words Essential Forker on the back. The reopening of dine-in was for restaurants and breweries with outdoor space only. He hopes other restaurants which remain locked out are able to get by in this time too.

SALEM, Va. – Mac and Bob’s in Salem is no stranger to media attention, but co-owner Bob Rotanz said the attention on Monday was surreal. A crew from the Today Show spent almost seven hours in the restaurant talking to Rotanz, his business partner and customers. With bankruptcy in the rear view mirror, Rotanz and customers are looking forward to the restaurant’s national television debut. A waiter prepares to serve customers their food at Mac and Bob’s on Monday, Feb. 17. “We can put it on our social media, on our website, ‘As seen on NBC’s Today Show,'" Rotanz said, laughing.

After months of uncertainty, Mac and Bobs is finally out of the woods with more support than ever before. Community members raised more than $150,000 through a GoFundMe account and other fundraisers to cover legal costs. There was so much more of that than there was the negative," Mac and Bobs co-owner and president Bob Rotanz said. After all the legal costs, about $8,000 was left in the GoFundMe account, so the owners decided to give that to those who helped them through it all. He's helped more people than I can count on my fingers and toes at this restaurant," Mac and Bobs assistant manager Heather Welch said.